Journey of an Ice Queen and dusty, old Qrow
by Leopardsplash
Summary: Vale is in ruins after the Grimm attack, and the Huntsman are doing what they can to try and keep Remnant safe. Winter Schnee wants to do more than just stay in Atlas like General Ironwood ordered. So when she hears that Qrow will be leaving on a secret mission, the two partner up to try and protect Remnant and the ones they love. (slowburn)
1. Chapter 1

Vale was in flames. Barely any buildings were still complete and standing, and Grimm were still pouring in and out of the city. A few Huntsmen and Huntresses were scattered here and there, trying there best to protect the citizens of Vale and fight the endless onslaught of Grimm, but with the CCT down, there was no way to call for backup from any other kingdoms.  
General Ironwood, Glynda Goodwitch, and Qrow Branwen had gathered together one last time before they parted ways. The majority of the battle was over, but the influx of Grimm hadn't stopped. For the moment, it seemed as if the Grimm, and the strange woman who had organized the attack, had won.

"What will you do, James?" Qrow asked, pulling out a silver flask and taking a swig. General Ironwood looked at the meager number of soldiers and Atlesian Knights.

"We're...moving most of our knights and paladins out," he said slowly, looking a little guilty. "Many people were injured, and I just don't know how much I can trust the robotics' system. We lost multiple airships, and some good men, Qrow." Qrow paused, staring off into space.

"I know, James. I don't blame you for trying to save what few soldiers are still here," he said. He took another long drink. "It looks like we lost this one." The three sat there silently for a moment, somberly gazing at the destruction around them.

"Glynda-," Ironwood began.

"I'm staying here." The other two Hunters looked at her, and she met their stares with a cold, though tired, gaze of her own. "Someone has to help the people still here, and look after the city. We cannot leave it to be completely abandoned. And someone needs to protect Beacon as well, now that Ozpin-," she stopped and clicked her tongue, as if annoyed by something, though her dreary expression clearly showed how miserable she was, and how much she worried about Ozpin. Qrow, who had searched through some of the ruins of the Beacon tower, had found nothing but his cane. Glynda had momentarily gone into a frenzy before composing herself, and James had nearly punched out a wall. Qrow stood up, slipping his flask back into a pocket and dusting his pants off.

"Well, I should-," he began, before a low muffled rumble cut him off. The rumble grew into the roar of an engine, and an airship with decorated wings landed near the three older Hunters. Ironwood's shoulders sagged a bit, and Qrow stiffened. Both knew who was on the ship.

The door of the ship opened, and a young woman quickly stepped out, her chalky white hair piled into a bun and her expression one of barely stifled panic. Two soldiers followed her, flanking each side. When she got close enough to the other three, she stopped and saluted James.

"General Ironwood, sir!" she said.

"At ease, Schnee," he said in a tired tone. The woman snapped her hand back to her side, and continued forward.

"Sir, I was informed briefly of the situation by Airship Blue 1 before our line was cut. It seemed our communications have been jammed, and I came as quickly as possible," Winter said, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. Her frown deepened as she took in the destruction. Her gaze fell on Qrow for a split second before she turned back to Ironwood.

"Sir, if there's anything I can do," she said.

"I want you to do a last check for any civilians in this area," Ironwood commanded. "Then, join the last few troops in moving out." Winter's eyes widened.

"Moving out? Sir, are you sure?" she asked in surprise.

"Are you questioning me, Schnee?"

"No sir," she muttered, dipping her head. Her eyes darted around again. "Have you seen my sister?"

"Your sister?"

"Have you seen Weiss?" Winter asked pleadingly, and this time the question was directed to Glynda and Qrow too.

"Your pop picked her up not too long ago." Qrow said, jabbing his thumb in the direction of where Weiss had last been. Winter's normally pale face lost what little color it had.

"My father was here?" she stammered, looking almost frightened. Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he drawled. "You didn't know?" Winter's mouth snapped shut and she looked away. It was as good as a confirmation.

"Professor Ozpin?" Winter asked.

"We couldn't find him," Qrow said, giving the cane in his hand a sad look. Winter stared at him, unable to find the words to say in a situation like this. General Ironwood cleared his throat.

"Winter, you should head back to Atlas as soon as you possibly can. We don't know where our enemies will strike next," Ironwood said. "And with the CCTs down, it will be best if the entire Atlas military convenes back at the base for further instructions. You might want to see your father and sister as well, to let them know you're okay." Winter bit her lip. Her first instinct was to salute the general and agree with him, doing a sweep of the area and fighting off any Grimm in the way before leaving with some of the troops. But then she caught Qrow's eyes again, and the disdained look he was giving her. Whether it was because of the option Ironwood gave her to leave, or the fact that the Atlesian military technology was part of the destruction, she didn't know. But she knew that she hated that look. And she would probably regret the decision she was about to make. _Weiss, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I probably won't see you for awhile, and that you had to leave your friends to go with father. I'll try to see you as soon as possible, but…_

"Sir, I'd like to request to stay here and help as much as I can," Winter asked formally, keeping her back ramrod straight and her chin pointed. General Ironwood raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Qrow looked away, but Winter could have sworn he was grinning.

"Are you sure, Schnee?" the general asked.

"Absolutely, sir." Ironwood sighed, rubbing his wrist.

"Well then, you can take your troops and patrol the city, rescuing any civilians and fighting off any Grimm you see." The four turned their heads to the sky as another airship left, presumably with multiple Vale citizens, Beacon students, and visitors who had arrived for the Vytal Festival aboard.

"Well, I think that's my cue to leave," Qrow said, turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" Winter asked. Qrow glanced at the woman for a minute, scoffing in an annoyed manner.

"Not that it's your business or anything, but I have two nieces, friends of your little sister, who had a shit day today. I had to practically drag one out of that!" He pointed at the half-destroyed Beacon tower. "And both are unconscious and in rough shape. I'm leaving to take them back to Patch." Winter remembered the day Weiss had introduced her to Ruby, how happy Weiss was with her leader, the number of letters Weiss had sent to tell her of Team RWBY. Winter picture the young girl with the red cape, bruised and unconscious among the crumbling tower, and she immediately felt horrible for calling Ruby underwhelming. Someone who had been a friend to her sister, and who had tried to fight the day Vale fell was anything but "underwhelming".

"Qrow!" Ironwood snapped. Qrow waved him off dismissively, walking towards the center of the city, where most of the airships were, waiting to take people to a safer location.

"Good luck Qrow," Glynda murmured.

"He'll need it," Ironwood mumbled. Winter stiffened at the general's words. _Need it for what?_ James Ironwood caught Winter's eye and looked away. "It's going to be hard for everyone after this. And this isn't the end." That wasn't it. Winter knew there was something going on between Qrow, Glynda, and the general. It was the same the day she had arrive at Beacon, when Qrow had kicked her out of Ozpin's office. There was something they didn't want her to know. She knew Qrow had been away on covert missions for the general and Professor Ozpin. General Ironwood had shared that much with her. But there were still some things they were keeping from her.

She had an idea, and she wasn't sure how smart of an idea it was. But for once in her life, Winter wanted to do something of her own free will, something she herself thought was right. She bowed to General Ironwood quickly.

"I'll be right back sir," she said apologetically, turning and running after Qrow, leaving behind a confused looking Ironwood. She turned down a street and inwardly groaned. Why was every street in Vale so long, and connected to every other alleyway and road?! In Atlas, the streets were like a neat, straightforward grid. It was much less complicated and tangled than this web of roads. She gritted her teeth and concentrated, focusing her Aura. A large, pale blue glyph appeared at her feet. She pressed her feet against, then she let it go. She shot forward, running across a trail of blue-white glyphs. Her feet carried her faster than usual; with her glyphs, she could increase her speed and momentum, and incorporate Dust for varied effects. She reached the center of the city in less than a minute. Qrow was nearly aboard one of the medical airships. Winter could see tiny spots of dark red and golden yellow further in the ship. His nieces no doubt, Weiss' friends.

"Qrow!" she called. The older Huntsman stopped at the foot of the stairs leading into the ship. One of the paramedics aboard looked confused.

"Sir, we're leaving soon," he called worriedly.

"Give me a minute," he said gruffly, turning to face Winter. His eyes were narrowed, and he still held Ozpin's cane in his hand. "What do you want?"

"I want to help," Winter blurted out.

"Yeah, I got that. The general already gave you some busy work, didn't he?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's not what I meant," Winter snapped. She took a breath, trying to level her head. "I know that you've been on missions. For the general and Ozpin." Qrow paused, staring at her. "I know it had something to do with the attack on Vale, and the person who caused this."

"Give the woman a prize."

"And I want to help you find whoever did this." That got a serious look from Qrow. Actually, he was looking at her as if he was crazy.

"Go back to your robots and your soldiers, kid," Qrow said, and Winter thought her almost looked sad. "You don't need to go off on some crazy adventure and get yourself killed because you're mad."

"I'm not a kid, and I'm not mad," Winter snapped again. "I want to _do_ something." Qrow just kept looking at her with the same, arrogant look of his. It made her want to slap him with her rapier. He finally smirked, crossing his arms with an amused gaze.

"Finally tired of constantly taking orders from old Jimmy?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"General!" Winter corrected, annoyed. "And I have nothing against him. I hold the general in the highest respect. But I feel that I can be more helpful if I redirect my skill and effort elsewhere. General Ironwood has given me the simple task of patrolling the city, and after doing that he still wants me and the other soldiers to leave. But I want to do something else. I want to find whoever did this, and stop them from causing anymore destruction on Remnant."

"Is that all?"

"I want to protect my sister," Winter said, looking at the Huntsman with an even gaze. To her surprise, he nodded in agreement.

"You're right. I was working with Ozpin, Ironwood, and Glynda on a few secret missions. On one of them, I fought a group of people who I believe infiltrated Beacon, and caused the Grimm to attack," Qrow said steadily.

"Sir, we're leaving!" the paramedic yelled, waving his hand furiously. Qrow shook his head.

"I should be going," he said reluctantly. He slipped a piece of paper into Winter's hand, closing her fingers around it.

"What is-,"

"Three weeks. Exactly. Meet me at that location. If you're serious about wanting to help, you'll be there. If you change your mind, don't come. I'll be there that day, and only that day." With that, Qrow spun on his heel and boarded the airship, no goodbye or last look. Winter looked at the piece of paper and frowned.

 _Alright, Qrow. I'll see you in Mistral._


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you all for the interest and support of this story! To be truthful, it was originally going to be a one or two-shot. But now that I've seen people are interested in it, and after thinking about it, I'm going to make this longer. I don't know how long yet, or where the story will stop, but for now, expect a few more chapters at the very least. My update schedule may be a bit sporadic too, and finals and projects are all due within the next few weeks  
Sorry for the shorter chapter; I was originally going to make it longer, but I really felt like I should end it here. I will try my best to make the next chapter longer!  
If anyone has any comments, concerns, questions, ideas for the story, or helpful advice/constructive criticism, feel free to leave a review! Even if you just read the story and liked it, review it! It keeps me going! Enjoy the story!**

 **XXX**

It had been nearly three weeks since Winter had seen Qrow. She had stayed longer than she had hoped in Vale, trying her best to clean the city of Grimm. Vale was nearly empty of people now; most had fled to safe zone being set up right outside of Vale, while some had left for the other kingdoms. Neither was a permanent solution, and Winter couldn't imagine the other kingdoms would want refugees after witnessing the chaos live before the CCT had been destroyed.  
Glynda was one of the few Hunters left, and Winter wondered why she stayed. The woman was exhausted from constantly fighting Grimm and slowly rebuilding the houses and stores that had been knocked to the ground. The influx of Grimm had slowed, but it had not stopped. Though the strange, large Grimm was still frozen on top of Beacon, the negativity of the few people left and the other Grimm still drew in others. Winter and her soldiers had fought off a good number, but after a week, she knew they weren't even much of a help anymore. With most people gone, and the Grimm too large in number to put a real dent in, Winter and her troops had retreated.  
Winter had flown her ship back to Atlas. The entire kingdom was on high alert, and Winter found that despite the fact that there had been no battle in her kingdom, she was even busier than usual as every soldier was required to be ready for a suspected attack on Atlas. The fall of Vale had made the other kingdoms paranoid and fearful, especially Atlas,who feared the enemy coming for their technology, and who also feared the other two kingdoms, who last saw Atlesian robots attack innocent people and their own allies before the everything shut down.

Now Winter sat in her room. Or at least, the room she called her own since she had joined the military. The room, like most things in Atlas, contained shades of white and grey, and was incredibly clean. She fingered the small, wrinkled piece of paper Qrow had handed her that day. She had only three days until she had to be at the location. She frowned. A part of her didn't want to leave Atlas. As a member of the Specialists of the Atlesian army, she was one of the general's best soldiers, and she was a higher rank than any normal soldier. And if she left now, she would be leaving Weiss. Again. With their father. But the mission Qrow was talking about was important. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Qrow had actually talked to her normally, without mocking her, insulting her, treating her with contempt. He had invited her to help him.  
She slipped on her long coat and gloves, and pulled on her boots. Atlas was especially cold most of the year, and parts of Mistral were fairly cool too, so she had to go prepared. Winter paused when looked at her weapon on her belt. She would need Dust. She preferred saving her Dust for situations that really called for it, choosing to rely on her weapon skills and her Semblance more often than Dust. Especially since it had become harder to acquire since she had joined the military. The amount of Dust a soldier could own was regulated, even for the Specialists, and her father, still angry that she had joined the military rather than learn the family trade as heir to the Schnee Dust Company, was not much of a help at all. _It was a good thing Weiss and a few employees in the company were still on her side,_ Winter thought as she pulled a briefcase out of her closet and dumped its contents into her backpack.

"Water, Ice, Earth, Lightning, Fire," she listed, counting the tubes of powdered Dust that dimly shone from her pack. Winter grabbed what Lien she had and threw a couple bottles of water in her backpack before zipping up and leaving her room, locking the door. _I don't know how long I'll be gone._ That was the thought that had haunted her the most the past few weeks.  
She walked down the hallway, trying to appear as composed and calm as she possibly could. She thought back to the conversation she had with General Ironwood a week earlier.

 _Sir, I'd like to take a leave of absence._

 _Why is that?_

 _I don't know if I can tell you that, sir._

 _Schnee, what do you want to leave for?_

 _I'm needed elsewhere, sir._

 _You're needed here! Where else are you needed? You're not going back to Vale, Schnee._

 _Not Vale, sir. Mistral._

 _And why do you want to go to Mistral?_

 _To help someone. To try and fix what has happened. To look for the person who orchestrated the attack of Vale._

 _If you refuse to tell me anything about this Schnee, I'm not sure I can authorize this. We need every soldier here, in case Atlas is targeted._

 _Sir, please! I need to do this._

 _...I'll think about it Schnee._

That had roughly been their conversation a week ago. And though she had persisted in her attempts to be relieved of duty temporarily, the general still hesitated and kept putting off his decision. In one of their meetings, she had almost lost her temper.

"You're refusing to allow my leave of absence!" she had nearly shouted.

"I'm sorry, Winter. But it's not just me," the general had apologized. That had stopped Winter. Of course. The Atlas military, government, and academy were all the same. If the council did not approve of her leave of absence, there was only so much General Ironwood could do. So she had saluted him, apologized for her tone, and left as quickly as possible.

She had no choice but to leave on her own. That had been Winter's hardest decision she had ever made. But there was only a few days left until Qrow was at the location on the paper. If she missed the day, Qrow would leave without her. She was doing the last thing a Schnee was supposed to do. She was breaking the rules. She was going AWOL.  
"Ms. Schnee!" two soldiers exclaimed, saluting her as she passed by them. She nodded in their direction, trying to control her breathing so she wouldn't give herself away.

"At ease," she said. The soldiers' arms returned to their sides, and the two kept walking down the hall. Winter waited until they were out of sight before quickening her pace, making it to an elevator and punching the button that would take her to the basement level. From there, she would have to find a way to take one of the airships. It would mean stealing an airship, albeit a tiny one. Winter couldn't help but wince. The list of felonies were piling up.  
As she walked through the garage, carrying herself with a collected demeanor, she heard distant footsteps far behind her, and ever so slightly quickened her pace. _It's no one. A janitor, or some random soldier, or a mechanic just looking at one of the ships,_ she mentally reassured herself.

Just as she entered the courtyard filled with airships, small and large, some meant for combat, others for cargo, a voice broke the windy air.

"Schnee!" Winter froze. She knew the voice. Only one people who addressed her that way. She spun on her heel and saluted.

"General Ironwood!" she said evenly. The general walked towards her slowly.

"I'm surprised to find you out here, Schnee," he mentioned. Winter forced a tiny smile onto her face.

"Yes, sir," she said.

"And with your pack," he added.

"Sir, I-,"

"Didn't wait." Winter blinked.

"Pardon me, sir?"

"You didn't wait for me. Were you expecting to leave for your mission without these?" Ironwood held out a hand. In his palm was a piece of paper and a pair of keys. He gestured for her to take them, and Winter cautiously picked them up, looking at the piece of paper, then looking at Ironwood with confusion.

"My mission, sir?"

"I want you to go back to Vale. We do still have some soldiers there, and you wanted to be of help."

"I-,"

"There's no need to deny it. It took me awhile to think about this decision, but after speaking with the council, I think it'd be best to keep some soldiers there. And who better to assist them than you?" Winter felt her cheeks burn, feeling a mixture of relief and guilt.

"Yes, sir. Thank you," she murmured. The general nodded, already turning to leave.

"I know that this mission is important to you, Winter. Good luck," he said, walking away. Winter turned back to the courtyard when she heard him call out one last time. "I hope you find what you're looking for!" Winter's head swung around and she stared at the back of the general for a moment before he entered the elevator, not turning back once to look at her before the doors slid shut behind him. Winter clenched the keys in her hand and took a deep breath. _This is it. I've been given the opportunity. I cannot, and will not, go back. Not until I see this through._

Winter wandered the airship yard, no longer bothering with the appearance of staying composed and cool as she raced from one ship to another. Finally her gaze settled upon the ship she was looking for. A smaller ship, one no one would miss hopefully. It was nowhere near the size of some of their largest ships, Blue 1, 2 and 3. It was an airship made for light travel and combat, and could only contain a small crew. Perfect for covert operations, the Atlesian Specialists preferred such ships whenever they left on missions. Just as Winter was doing now. It wouldn't take her too far, but it was enough. Atlas was an island, but Mistral wasn't too far South. The kingdom was to the southeast of Atlas, and the location where she would meet Qrow was on the side closest to the military kingdom.

The door slid open as she slid the key into its slot, watching the inside of the ship come to life. Winter sat down in the main chair, sliding her hand across the control panel and punching in the coordinates Qrow had given her. She gripped the steering wheel as the plane began to rise off the ground.

 _Thank you, General Ironwood, for giving me the opportunity to do this,_ Winter thought with a smile. Three more days. She'd probably have to leave the airship somewhere, and then travel to Qrow's location by foot. It wouldn't exactly be easy, but she wasn't used to things being easy.

"Alright Qrow. I'm on my way," she said with a determined expression as the plane shot into the sky, leaving Atlas behind her.

 **XXX**

 **Looks like Winter is on her way! Sorry this chapter was mainly just her leaving Atlas. You will definitely see more next chapter. Hope you like the story so far! Any ideas you think the story needs? Any questions? Feel free to leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm so glad that so many of you like this story already! I can't believed it's already garnered this much attention, but it makes me incredibly happy!**

 **Sorry this chapter came a little later than the last two. Again, I don't really know what the scheduling is going to be like for this story, and since I'd like to keep it semi-close to canon, I might wait and see what happens with RWBY Vol 4 once I reach a certain point. But that shouldn't be for a few more chapters at the least, so we'll see what happens!**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review! Reviews keep me going! If you have any constructive criticism or advice, leave that too! Please try to be polite, of course. But advice and help is always welcome!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. RT does.**

 **XXX**

Winter kept checking the watch she wore around her wrist. It had been over three hours since she had left Atlas, so she knew that she had to be reaching Mistral's coastline soon. She had left early in the afternoon, so by the time she landed it would be the beginning of the evening, and she would most likely have to stay in the ship for the night. She could try looking for a place to stay, but considering her landing spot would be in the middle of the forest or mountains, it was unlikely there was any place for her to stay at nearby. And of course she had to get to the location Qrow had given her within the allotted time frame. She wished her scroll still worked. It would have made finding Qrow and communication with him ten times easier.

A light began blinking on the control panel. Winter looked at it and her map she had laid over the blank GPS screen. She glanced out the window of the ship, then back at the map. From the looks of it, she had just entered Mistral. She leaned over and flipped one of the switches off, then slowly began lowering the plane. A tiny clearing among the forested area at the base of a few smaller mountains came into sight, the perfect place to land.

 _This is it,_ Winter thought as the airship lowered until it hit the ground. _Unfortunately, I'll have to leave the ship here. Best to remain inconspicuous and avoid being associated with Atlas. Besides, Qrow's location is farther south, in the swamplands of Mistral. There would be no place to land an airship, even a small one, there._

After making sure the airship was secured in its position, she quickly changed out of her military uniform and pulled on a less formal outfit, consisting of a white turtleneck, navy blue pants with a white stripe on the sides, a dark grey jacket with fur lined along the hood and sleeves, white gloves, and dark grey hiking boots, which she had cringed at the moment she stepped into them. It went against what she was used to, the professional, stiff outfits of the military, and the formal, fancy outfits a Schnee girl might wear. But she was an Atlas Special Operative, who had fought herds of Grimm before, taken on more experienced Hunters, and was right hand woman for General Ironwood. She could handle fending for herself in the middle of the woods in Mistral, and she could handle wearing the sensible, albeit hideous, boots.

Winter tried her best to sleep that night, but it wasn't easy. It didn't help that the tiny bunk at the back of the ship was not comfortable in the slightest. She tossed, she turned, she punched the tiny, rectangular pillow approximately 100 times. After what seemed like a millenia, Winter blinked her eyes open as dim rays of sunlight hit them. She couldn't remember how long she had slept, or when the sun had risen, but she was happy it was finally the next day. As she grabbed her bag and walked down the ramp of the airship, Winter paused, looking at the pale blue sky. _I wonder what Weiss is doing now._

For most of the day, nothing really happened. Be it random or something else, Winter hardly spotted any Grimm, and made her way out of the snowy forest pretty easily. She briefly stopped in her tracks when she saw multiple black spots dotting the mountains in the distance. They almost looked like Goliaths, but they weren't attacking anyone. So Winter left them alone, warier now that she knew the forest wasn't completely void of Grimm.

As the sun slowly began to disappear, Winter stopped and decided to set up camp. The area was mainly a marshland, but there was no changing that, so she would have to make do. She had just started a fire, feeling pretty pleased with herself, when she heard the faint rustling of cloth. She turned her head to see two men, both looking very lanky and rugged in appearance. One had a hand in her pack, stopping only when the two noticed that she was glaring at them.

"That's a bit rude, don't you think?" she asked in an icy tone.

"Finders keepers," the guy next to the pack said. The other grinned and laughed. Winter marched slowly over to them, discretely reaching for her weapon at her side.

"Actually, it's not," she said coolly. "In case you dull-witted idiots weren't aware, that's my bag. I'd appreciate it if you left it, and me, alone." The two thieves were beginning to look at her as if she were crazy.

"Beat it, lady, and we'll leave you alone," the thief said, and began shifting around in the bag again. He barely noticed as a thin, silver gleam shone as a dagger pinned the thief still standing to a tree behind him. As the first thief looked up, Winter slammed into him, delivering a sideways kick that sent him sprawling to the side before holding a long sabre to his neck.

"I don't take to being treated rudely. At. All," she said through her teeth, swiftly kicking him in the side again. She stood over him, aiming the tip of the blade at the man's head. "So leave now, and I won't finish you." The thief looked up at her fearfully, and hightailed it away from her. Winter quickly grabbed her other blade that was still pinning the second thief to the tree. He nearly slumped to the ground as she pulled the dagger free, and he dashed after his friend. Winter scoffed and walked back to her fire, kicking some dirt over it. "Who needs a fire anyway. It will just attract unwanted attention, clearly." And that night, Winter stayed propped up against the trunk of a tree, her sabre in her right hand, and her dagger behind her, in case someone tried to attack her.

When she woke up the next morning, Winter felt more ready and nervous than she had ever felt before. If she made good time that day, she should make the location by night, so she could just wait for Qrow to arrive the next day. She still felt tired, but not enough to stop and rest. She had to keep pushing forward.

It was about the middle of the day when she found a dirt road in the middle of the marshlands. Figuring any road must lead somewhere that wasn't the middle of nowhere, Winter decided her best bet was to follow it. She kept checking and re-checking a map she had brought along. She could read it better than most, as it was a requirement to learn basic skills in navigation at the Atlas Academy, but she still wished the CCTs were working so she could use her scroll.

The distant clatter of wood and something thudding against the ground made Winter's head snap back. An odd shape was making its way towards her, lurching from side to side. She jumped to the side of the road, waiting to see what had followed her. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she saw the strange object was actually a cart, pulled by two horses with an older man sitting at the front. He caught her gaze and smiled, pulling back on the horses' reins. Winter took a step forward, and the old man tipped his hat.

"Afternoon, ma'am," he said. "Where are you heading?" Winter hesitated, reluctant to share what could be considered vital information. After a brief moment of deciding whether or not to tell the old man, she consented.

"I'm heading here," she said, handing the man the slip of paper from Qrow. The man gently took the paper, looking it over, before giving her a smile.

"Oh, I've heard of this place. The bar, right? It's that way," he said, pointing straight ahead of him. Winter grimaced when the man mentioned it was a bar. Leave it to Qrow to pick a bar in the middle of Mistral swampland as a meeting place. The old man glanced at Winter. "You know, if you need a ride, I'd be happy to take you there. You'll get there much faster, and my destination is just a little past there." Winter looked up, surprised.

"That would be very helpful," she said politely, bowing a bit. The man gave her a strange look, but then moved over, allowing enough space for Winter to join him at the front of the wagon. Winter hopped on, seating herself beside the man and folding her hands in her lap. The man whistled, and the horses began moving again, the wagon lurching forward as they began to trot. "Thank you, sir," Winter added after a few silent moments.

"It's really not much of a problem," the man said, eyeing her a second time. "Though I must say, you don't look like you're from around here." Winter kept her eyes locked on the horses, thinking over a good excuse for why she would be hiking in the mountains and swamps.

"I'm visiting a really close friend," she said finally. The older man gave a single nod, turning back to the reins he held.

"Better be careful traveling nowadays. It's become a lot harder for people, especially those travelling to different kingdoms. Ever since the city of Vale was destroyed by the Grimm, and the Vytal tournament was ruined, people have become very … cautious around others."

"Indeed," Winter murmured.

"The council has been trying to decide what to do. Given that we can't talk with the other kingdoms anymore, it's been kinda hard to see what actually happened. Though me personally, I don't what was going on with Atlas." Winter's hands tightened into fists, and she took a deep breath. _No one knows what really happened outside of the Atlesian army and some of the students and Hunters fighting in Vale. It makes sense for others to be suspicious of Atlas at this point,_ she reminded herself. "And everything awful that happened in the tournament! One of the Haven kids had his leg practically snapped in two! Awful, awful. A festival made for peace, completely ruined. Not to mention the chaos in all the kingdoms now, and the rise of Grimm."

"I noticed a few Grimm while I was hiking," Winter mentioned, hoping to steer the conversation away from Atlas and the battle. "They seemed very relaxed."

"Well, don't let them fool you! To be honest, some of the Grimms out here in the wilderness won't bother humans too much. Don't really know why, though I guess there's just no one to feel angry or sad enough out here to attract 'em or something like that."

"And you don't live out here?"

"I live in a marsh area very much like this one. I've got friends out around this area, and we'll trade crops and bring supplies to each other now and then."

"It's not hard, with such swampy land?" Winter asked.

"No, not at all!" the older man said, laughing heartily. "In fact, it's better. Let me tell you why." And for the remainder of the trip, he told Winter the details of farming in Mistral, of how and when to sell crops, of the mountain area and how to travel around it. Whenever Winter felt as though the conversation got to close to a bad topic, like where she came from or her job, she would shift it back to the older man, inquiring about his life in the swamps of Mistral. She barely noticed when the sun had begun to set, until the cart lurched to a halt. Winter gripped the seat beneath her, looking around.

"Why have we stopped?" she asked. The old man looked at her with a smile.

"We've reached your place!" he said. Winter blinked, then glanced around. They had stopped at a small town. Well, town was being generous. There were a few houses here and there, all looking fairly old and rundown. The only one that didn't appear to be someone's actually home was a larger one in the center of the small area, a lit lantern on the outside and rowdy laughter coming from the inside. It had to be the bar Qrow wanted to meet her at. Winter hopped off the cart, and dusted her pants off as she turned to the old man.

"Thank you so much," she said.

"No thanks necessary. Just trying to be a good person. Hard to come by in recent days," the man said with a wink.

"Here, I have some Lien, or Dust if you would like," Winter offered, reaching into her pack.

"No, stop that. I don't need any of your money or supplies." He picked up the reins, and looked around uneasily. "But if ya don't mind, here's some last minute advice." Winter paused, staring at the older man as he leaned closer to her. "Careful around these parts. With the kingdoms against each other, the world's a more dangerous place. And this is the type of area you'd find some wandering bandits or Hunters who may not be quite so noble anymore."

"I'll keep it all in mind, but I can handle myself," Winter assured him. The older man shrugged, then snapped the reins. The horses whinnied loudly, and the cart pushed forward again. The man waved as the wagon pulled away.

"Take care of yourself!" he called. Winter waved, watching the man and his horses disappear from sight and back into the Mistral wilderness. She walked to the bar, stopping when she reached the steps to read the sign.

"The Grub Pub," Winter muttered, grimacing. "Wonderful. At least I know I'm in the right place." She stepped into the bar, blinking at the bright light enveloping the entire room. A number of people were seated around the bar, and a large amount were roaring at something as they stood by the bartender. A few couples and families were seated in booths to the side, but most of the people in the bar were adults, male and female, and most were clearly drunk. Only the hand of one of the customers was visible from behind the counter; some guest who had drunk way too much. Winter squeezed through the crowd of drunk and rowdy folks, finding a free spot at the end of the bar. The bartender spotted her and made his way over quickly, seeming happy to have an excuse to be away from the others at the bar.

"Anything I can do for you ma'am?" he asked.

" I need a room for the night," she said with a smile. The bartender shrugged.

"Sure. Follow Lu over there, she'll take you upstairs to your room," the bartender said, tossing her a pair of keys. Winter scanned the crowd, looking for "Lu" when her gaze fell on a petite, pretty woman with antlers stretching out from her forehead. Winter pushed through the crowd until she reached the woman.

"Lu?" she asked. The Faunus woman nodded.

"You need a room, then," she said matter-of-factly. "Follow me!" Lu led Winter upstairs, walking down a narrow, rather dirty hallway, until she stopped at a door with the number 5 carved into the wood. "Here you go! Bar closes at 2:00 a.m. and opens back up at 12:00 p.m." With that, Lu spun around and sauntered back down the hallway and downstairs.  
Winter's room wasn't much. A single twin bed, a small dresser, a closet, and a side table with a lamp were the only things in the room. A far cry from Winter's room at the Schnee household, or even her room back at headquarters. But she assumed this would be her only night, and after two days of walking and a night in the woods after being attacked by bandits, not that she was worried about them, she was exhausted. And even the tiny bed looked really comfortable. So she plopped down on the mattress and let her body sink in, sighing at how good it felt to rest after a long day. She closed her eyes, shutting out all the noises from downstairs, and let herself fall into a relaxed sleep.

The next day, even Winter's alarm didn't wake her up. When she drowsily reached for her watch - an old thing she had found in the recesses of her pack - it read past noon. Winter groaned, throwing the watch back on the table and laying in bed for a few more moments. _I have the whole day. Qrow can wait,_ she thought. But she knew better than that, and if the general were here, she would be ashamed to be sleeping in so late with a mission on the line. So she hopped out of bed and threw on the clothes from yesterday, securing her bag and swinging it onto her back, before grabbing the keys from the bartender and walking down the stairs.

The bar was like a totally different place during the day. Only two people sat at the bar, and only one couple was seated in a booth off to the side. Lu was cleaning one of the tables, and the bartender was lazily leaning behind the counter, reading a book. Winter took a seat in front of him, smiling politely as he looked up from his read.

"Could I have a glass of champagne, please?" she asked. The bartender raised an eyebrow, but left to get her drink. He came back later, after what seemed like ages to Winter, and handed her a glass filled to the brim. Winter sniffed, looking at it with slight distaste.

"What's that?"

"The closest thing we've got," the bartender said, giving her a look that said he could care less if she got champagne or not. Winter sniffed, but obligingly pulled out some Lien and paid the man. The Atlesian Specialist took a swig of the "not-quite-champagne" drink as her eyes darted around. The two men who were at the other end of the bar were turned away, but one of them glanced in her direction twice before whispering something to his friend. Winter turned away. _They're just a couple of low-lifes,_ Winter told herself. _They're just not used to seeing new people at the bar. That's it._ One of the men pushed his chair away, and turned towards Winter, taking a step forward. She stiffened, her fingers gripping her glass so tightly they turned pure white. She moved her right hand towards her belt slowly, reaching for her weapon.

"You know, you need something stronger than that!" a gruff voice said from behind her. Winter's head snapped up as Qrow sat down on the stool to her left, blocking most of her view of the other two men. From behind him, Winter could see the man sit back down in his chair quickly, striking up another conversation with his friend. Winter breathed a long sigh before glaring at Qrow. He looked at her innocently. "What?"

"You-just- Argh!" Qrow shrugged before snapping his fingers at the bartender. The bartender simply turned and began concocting something right off the bat. Winter almost rolled her eyes. Of course this was a bar frequented by Qrow. Of course he was a regular here.

"It's about time you showed up," Winter muttered.

"Me? I've been here since yesterday," Qrow said, grinning at her slyly. Winter's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"What?! So have I! Where were you?" she demanded.

"I was here!" Winter gave him a dubious look, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "Well, there might have been awhile at night where I was passed out on the floor. But I was here!"

"Ugh! I cannot believe you!" Winter hissed, turning back to her drink. The bartender delivered Qrow his drink, shooting a glance at Winter before collecting his Lien from Qrow and returning to his spot farther down behind the bar.

"Don't get mad at me! I'm here the day I told you to meet me!" Qrow reminded her, crossing his own arms and raising his eyebrows at her. "And look at you!"

"What?" Winter snapped.

"I probably saved you from Mr. Not-So-Subtle over there," Qrow commented, pointing a thumb in the direction of the two men at the bar. "And look at what you're wearing! Couldn't have picked anything that would stand out more!" Winter glanced down at her hideous hiking boots and grey jacket.

"What's wrong with my clothes? I changed out of my military uniform into something more appropriate for this type of journey," she defended.

"Please, you practically scream "Atlas", Ice Queen," Qrow scoffed. "No wonder the people here are giving you weird looks. They can tell you're not from around here. You're probably lugging around a bunch of money and Dust in that bag of yours too." Winter's cheeks flushed.

"So what if I am?" she said, lowering her voice so no one other than Qrow would hear.

"Well, here's the thing, Ice Queen. Mistral? The cities are gorgeous, fairly wealthy, make their living on trade and whatnot."

"It's a country known for its ports," Winter said in an annoyed tone. "I'm not an idiot."

"Out here," Qrow continued, "it's not uncommon for ex-Hunters and bandits to show up, lugging their weapons around. But the people around these swampy woods aren't the richest. They see someone like you, piled up to her shoulders in Dust and wealth, and they know that not only are you from somewhere other than here, but you can be robbed. Depending on who attacks you, fairly easily."

"I would not be taken down by some low-life bandit," Winter said in a stone-cold tone. "They would regret it."

"Whatever you say, Specialist," Qrow muttered, rolling his eyes. "From now on though, you better stay on the down-low. Especially if you're traveling with me." That got Winter's attention.

"You invited me here for a reason, Qrow. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are we doing here?"

"We're just meeting here. Our mission is bigger than this. And because you've probably guessed, it has to do a lot with finding out why the attack of Vale was orchestrated."

"What about finding out who did it?" Winter asked.

"That's a smaller part of the bigger picture," Qrow said, lazily waving a hand around as he took a giant swig of beer. "For now, we have two main goals. One, find the co-conspirators of the person who headed the attack. My sources say they're in Mistral, which is why you and I are here. We find them, and move our way up the chain to the lead dog in this whole operation thingy."

"And the second goal?"

"...Find Ozpin."

 **XXX**

 **Oh boy, oh boy! Finally, it's moving along a little more. I don't really want to say too much more about the next chapter, but I think it's safe to say it continues on from this one ;) Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I will try to update with the next chapter as soon as possible, though I will say this is a busy week for me, so it might be anywhere from a few days to almost two weeks before I update again. I hope to make it less than two weeks, but we shall see.**

 **Thanks again! Remember to leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, thanks so much for all the reviews and follows! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. So sorry this took longer than I had hoped, but here it is now! Thanks for being patient about it :)**

 **It was brought to my attention that I've called Winter's weapon a rapier when it is not, and for that, I apologize. I did my research a little too late, and by the time I had found out that the proper term would be sabre, I had already published the first two or three chapters. Rest assured, I've done my best to remind myself that her weapon is not a rapier (that would be Weiss'), and you shouldn't see it referred to as such anymore.**

 **As a semi-important note, I have changed the rating of this story from K+ to T, as in Teen. I got to thinking about it since I included a tiny little bit of swearing in this chapter, and then considering the nature of this story and the world of Remnant, I figured it would be better to label this story as T. The content of the story won't really change or anything, and I'm not gonna include anything incredibly "mature", for lack of a better word. The change is mainly for swearing and because there will probably be more and bigger fights coming. I will try to keep swearing to a minimum (you won't see it every other sentence). This has just been a friendly notification.**

 **And now, I hope you enjoy the story.**

 **I, again, do not own RWBY.**

 **XXX**

"Ozpin?" Winter asked, furrowing her brows. Qrow glanced away for a moment, and Winter could have sworn he seemed almost sad.

"He disappeared the day Vale was attacked. It's been weeks, and no one has heard from him since," Qrow mumbled. Winter's eyes shot down to his belt loops. As usual, Qrow had his sword-scythe strapped to his back, but this time, a slim cane hung from one of the belt loops. "I've kept my eyes open, looked around. He just vanished." The Huntsman looked up, meeting Winter's solemn face, and smirked. "But I'm not giving up. Ozpin may seem like some old school teacher, but he's tough. There's no way he's dead. He wouldn't have given up." Winter looked away for a moment. She had forgotten how bad the situation was. Professor Ozpin was someone she had respect for, though she did not know him nearly as well as Qrow or the General. She had never seen him fight, but she could tell from Qrow's stories and General Ironwood's deference to the professor's advice that he was probably an incredibly strong Huntsman.

"You're nieces," Winter said suddenly. "How are they?" This time it was Qrow who looked away.

"Ruby was fine after a bit of rest. Yang-," he paused, rubbing the back of his head. "She'll get there. She's strong enough to handle this."

"I'm sorry about that," Winter stated, trying to find something, anything to say. The air between them had turned from tense to somber. Qrow glanced up at her, his lip curling slightly into a peeved expression.

"Don't be," he scoffed. "You had nothing to do with it. If anything, you should worry about yourself." Again, Winter fell silent.

"Hey." Winter turned. The two men who had been sitting farther down the bar had gotten up and were now standing right next to Qrow. One had his hand at his waist. Winter froze, but Qrow just lazily turned his head and gazed up at the two men.

"Can we help you? We're trying to have a conversation here," he drawled, waving his hand around. The first, a ginger, bearded man with scraggly hair, looked at Qrow with near disgust. He slid a metal axe off his back.

"Never seen you around these parts. And we know outsiders when we see one," the man said dangerously. Qrow shrugged again.

"Well, I think we're better customers than you've been. Creating a scene and pulling weapons on other customers." The redhead's eyes bulged and suddenly the axe's tip was pointed directly at Qrow's neck, mere inches away.

"Say it again, outsider," he snarled. The other man pulled out a scimitar, his face a dead calm. The red haired man took a step forward. "If I had to guess from Miss Rich and Prissy over here, you're from Atlas. Though you definitely look like you've rolled around in Mistral swamps for a while." The man's gaze shifted to Winter, who stiffened at the man's hateful look. "Here to take over Mistral like you tried to with Vale?" Winter breathed in quickly, her cheeks flushing. She couldn't help it; she had guessed, she _knew_ that people from the other kingdoms would be suspicious of anyone from Atlas. Would think that the attack on Vale would have been caused by Atlas. But she hadn't been prepared for the amount of animosity and hatred she might face. The journey suddenly seemed so much more harrowing.

The metallic ring of a blade sounded through the bar. Qrow was on his feet, his sword intersected with the man's axe. Winter got to her feet immediately, pulling out her own blade.

"Maybe you should just keep your mouth shut," Qrow said in a steely tone.

"Hey! No brawling in here!" the bartender shouted. "You wanna fight, take it outside!" Lu had stopped wiping the counter, her eyes widening as she took a couple frantic steps back. The redhead shoved his weapon against Qrow's, pushing the man backwards.

"Maybe you should scram while you can," the man snarled. "Before I show you who you're dealing with." At that Qrow grinned wildly, and Winter's eyes widened a bit. As far back as she could remember, Qrow only had two expressions; his stupid smug smirk, and his peeved, angry snarl that was enough to intimidate experienced Hunters. She wasn't sure she had ever seen him smile so wickedly before.

"Alright then. Bring it," he said, leaning back. The red haired man raised an eyebrow, but gripped the handle of his weapon and positioned himself, readying to attack. Qrow shot forward, slashing his sword at the man and sending him flying backwards until he hit the wall. The man's companion, a man with slicked back, blond hair, snapped his head toward Qrow, a mixture of shock and anger in his eyes.

"You're gonna pay for that, filth," he growled, dashing forward and pulling out a broadsword. Qrow darted forward too, and the two clashed swords, pulling back only to have at it again. Lu had backed against the wall, nearly whimpering with fright. Winter glanced her way, gesturing impatiently towards the door.

"Go on, get out of here," she ordered. The young Faunus woman didn't need to be told twice. She practically sprinted out the door, not taking one look back. Winter turned back to the two men attacking each other. Despite the small space they were confined to, neither seemed to be holding back. They had already shoved two tables out of the way in their brawl, and one chair lay on it's side, the wood cleanly sliced through. The redhead Qrow had shoved aside was beginning to climb to his feet, his eyes locked onto Qrow. He reached for his axe, gaze still trained on the Huntsman. Winter ran forward and sliced her sabre sideways, which the man narrowly dodged. He darted to the side, repositioning himself with a glare at Winter.

"You friggin' Atlas bitch!" he spat, slashing his axe toward her. Winter brought up her own blade, trying to block the man's attack as best as she could. She slid her sword downwards, the man's weapon following suit, and kicked him hard in the gut. He grunted, putting a hand to his stomach. Winter took the opportunity and jabbed the handle of her sabre into the man's chest. He stumbled back, dragging his axe along the ground, and Winter followed. She gritted her teeth and stabbed at the man, aiming for his shoulder. Angry as his comments made her, and hateful as this man seemed, Winter didn't want to kill him. He wasn't worth it.

But the redhead drunk wasn't a complete idiot, it seemed. He looked up just in time to see Winter stab her sword at him and deflected her blade with his own weapon. Winter scowled, staring the man down. He gave her a cocky grin and pushed her back before bringing his own weapon down, aimed at the Specialist's head. Winter focused on her Aura, and a white glyph appeared under her, propelling her backwards quickly. The axe smashed into the floor in the spot where Winter had just been standing. The man stared at his weapon for a moment, confusion filling his face. Winter leaned forward, a deadly calm look on her face, and another glyph, this one black, appeared beneath her feet. She pointed her sabre at the man, and the glyph's color shifted to a whitish-blue. The glyph launched her at the man, and she slammed into him at full speed. The redhead hadn't been expecting it, and he fell to the ground, his weapon dropping from his hand and landing a few feet away. He tilted his head back, looking dazed, before Winter delivered a final kick to his head. The man's eyes rolled back and his head dropped back.

Winter sighed and stepped away from the man's unconscious body. She turned around, looking to see how Qrow was doing. From her point of view, Qrow had nearly beaten the man. The blonde was on his knees, an angry scowl on his face, and Qrow was standing above him with his sword at the man's neck.

"Wait!" The bartender leapt out from behind the bar, grabbing one of Qrow's arms and receiving a glare in return. "Don't kill this man!" Qrow rolled his eyes and lowered his sword a bit.

"I'm not gonna kill him, though it'd be pretty easy," Qrow commented. "Scum like him isn't worth it." Winter smiled softly, turning her head away from Qrow. She stopped when she saw the blonde man slowly aim his weapon at Qrow. Except it was no longer in its sword form, it was now transformed into a gun. And the gun was aimed at Qrow's head, whose attention was still on the bartender. Winter didn't even stop to think; she stabbed her sword into the ground as a new glyph appeared. This glyph's appearance was slightly different than her normal glyphs, which consisted of the symbol of her family. The new glyph had the same symbol, but over it was the images of swords, spinning in a rapid circle. Pale blue flashes of light floated around her before shifting into a flock of small Nevermores. The Nevermores flew around Winter once before diving straight for the blonde man.

"Argh!" The man was knocked off balance as he was bombarded by the spectral Nevermores. The ghostly birds continued to barrage him until Winter stood up, letting the Summoning glyph disappear as she sheathed her sword. The blonde man was leaning against the bar and groaning, rubbing his head lazily. The bartender was staring at the guy in shock, then looking around at the half-ruined bar.

"Look what you've done!" he cried.

"Time to go, Schnee," Qrow said quickly, grabbing ahold of her arm and pulling her towards the door roughly. Winter quickly grabbed some Lien from her pack, throwing it on one of the undamaged tables.

"Our apologies for the damage!" she called as Qrow dragged her out the door. He didn't let go until they were at the edge of town.

"Move, Ice Queen, move!" he snapped. Winter yanked her arm out of his grip, giving him a glare.

"Look at what you did!" Winter snapped back, waving a hand at the bar behind him. Qrow glanced at it.

"What? That?! That wasn't just me, you know. That you too, and those guys back there." Qrow shrugged. "Besides, I think we helped them. Those guys were nothing but trouble, and we took care of them. Not to mention, I saved you." Winter couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You saved me?!" she said incredulously. "I saved you! That drunk could have shot you!"

"Please, he wouldn't have shot me. I can handle myself."

"Hardly!" Winter fumed, her hands on her hips as she glared at the man before her.

"Well, we really shouldn't stand around here. I doubt they have any suitable police force, but in case those morons back there wake up, or the bartender calls for help, we should get a move on." Qrow pulled out a flask and took a long gulp before returning it to his pocket. Winter grimaced. Drinking, as usual. Even at a time like this. She turned to the dirt road, the one that the elderly man who had helped her the day before had ridden down as he waved goodbye.

"That way then?" Winter asked.

"About the only way to go. We're gonna want to avoid the swamps and woods as much as possible." Winter nodded in agreement.

"Fine, then. Let's go," she said. Qrow shrugged his shoulders again, but joined her side, and the two began walking down the road. _This,_ Winter thought, _is where the real journey begins._

 **XXX**

 **Well, now they're really on their way! Yay! Finally, we get to see Qrow and Winter travelling together!**

 **For The Real Big Bad: I hope this chapter answered your question. In case it wasn't clear enough, Qrow kept Ozpin's cane and now carries it with him, usually strapped to his back like to his own weapon, or hanging from one of his belt loops.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave reviews; you can tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you hope to see, any theories you have, etc. I love reviews, and they motivate me when I'm writing the story. Just please remember to always be polite. There's a difference between constructive criticism and just plain, old criticism. And if you see any spelling or grammar mistakes, let me know!**

 **I will try to get the next chapter out soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**New chapter up! Hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks for leaving the nice reviews and continuing to follow this story. I'll leave a bigger author's note at the end.**

 **I do not own RWBY.**

 **XXX**

"Are you going to tell me where we are going?" Winter and Qrow had been walking down the same dirt road for hours. The sun was already beginning to set, and for most of the way, the two had walked in silence. Qrow had said little about anything, and Winter occasionally tried to pick up the conversation.

"That's sort of a case-by-case thing," Qrow said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. Winter's mouth set into a frown, and she curled her fingers around the straps of her backpack so she wouldn't strangle Qrow out of frustration.

"Qrow, you brought me on this mission of yours. If this is a need-to-know thing, I _need to know_."

"Well, from the information I've gathered, the people we're looking for, their trail leads all the way to Haven." Winter thought about it, frowning. Haven was Mistral's secondary academy for training Huntsmen and Huntresses. Like Signal and Beacon, and Atlas' primary and secondary academies, most young trainees began in Sanctum and worked their way up to Haven. Haven was located on the outer edges of a city, closer to the center of Mistral.

"Haven? The Academy? What are we looking for, students?" Winter asked dubiously. Qrow shot her a sidelong glance. Her eyebrows raised, her mouth forming a tiny 'o'. "You're kidding me."

"Listen, whoever these people exactly are, they were able to infiltrate Beacon and the Vytal Festival. I'm 99% sure they pretended to be students to gain access to the buildings. It really wouldn't be hard. Amazing as the students at the academies are, they tend to be a bit on the naive side." Winter turned her head away, frowning. She had known that the person who had organized the Beacon attack and some of her associates had been in Vale. From one of the few times she had spoken with Weiss since the Grimm attack, Weiss had mentioned that two of the visiting students that she had thought were friends had left after Yang attacked one of them. But Yang had insisted that she had been tricked by one of the students, that she had been threatened by the student despite every other person, including the rest of Team RWBY, seeing Yang attack the boy, unprovoked. To the end though, Weiss declared that she trusted Yang and that something had happened. Winter wondered if those two students were the ones who had organized the attack. Weiss had mentioned that they were from Haven Academy.

"Weiss mentioned two students from Haven that she had met," Winter mused.

"Yeah, I know who you're talking about. Yang had a bit of a … situation with the boy," Qrow said with a nod. "Attacked him on live camera. I talked with her, and she insisted that she wasn't lying when she claimed he attacked her first. Course she could be crazy." So maybe it had been that team. If Yang had even insisted on her innocence to her closest friends and family, she probably wouldn't be lying.

"You think she was crazy?" Winter asked, almost in disbelief. Qrow shrugged.

"Said she wasn't lying. It's all that makes sense, isn't it?"

"Maybe. It could have been set up though. Maybe someone was helping this student pull it off, or it was someone's Semblance." Qrow glanced her over, a tiny smile playing at his lips. "What?"

"You know, for a strict Atlesian Specialist, you sometimes look at things with a bit more of an optimistic, open mind," he commented. "You're sure better than Jimmy anyways."

"The General is a good man, who does his best to carry out justice with fairness and equality." Qrow snorted.

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't change the fact that sometimes he still makes stupid decisions."

"Look who's talking!" Winter fired back. "You always complain about others, like the General. Yet you're drunk constantly, you barely show an ounce of respect for any person deserving of it, you even distrusted your own niece!" Qrow's head snapped towards her, his red eyes blazing.

"At least I don't go around pretending I'm all "mightier-than-thou", boohooing about my strict father but praising a strict boss, with the gall to actually _create_ a sentient robot which ends up being a little girl, and causing that little girl's death!" Winter recoiled, her face losing its color. If they weren't walking, and if they didn't have a fairly tight schedule for reaching Haven, Winter would have stopped, would have walked away. No, she was stronger than that. She avoided Qrow's glaring gaze, staring at the road ahead of her and giving it her full attention. She had nothing to say to his comment. She suddenly felt exhausted. She was tired of bickering, and she didn't know what there was left to say. Winter quickened her pace ever so slightly, so she wouldn't have to walk shoulder to shoulder with Qrow. Being near him would surely make her sick.

But his comment wouldn't leave her mind. The part about her father and the general was hurtful enough, but what made Winter feel rotten to the core was the comment on Atlas' sentient AI; Penny. She had known a fair deal about Penny; nearly all ranking Atlas officials knew that Penny was actually a robot, one of Atlas' finest and most advanced achievements. Winter only knew bits and pieces of Penny's origin. She knew Penny had been created using the Aura of someone else. Who exactly that person had been, or how it had been achieved were two things Winter did not know. More that General Ironwood had not shared with her. Winter wanted to scream. Or puke.

As she thought about Penny, her thoughts drifted to her sister once again. Weiss and the rest of her team had known Penny fairly well, and had been devastated over her death, Winter's heart broke when Weiss told her, with the most crestfallen and miserable face Winter had ever seen, that Penny's death had been accidently caused by another close friend, the champion student Pyrrha Nikos. The entire event had been broadcast live, and afterwards the broadcast had been jammed by a mysterious woman, who hinted at the upcoming attack and taunted Ozpin and Ironwood. Pyrrha had broken down, and Weiss had ended her story with her sadly stating that the awful video of Pyrrha and Penny's incident had been the last time Weiss had seen either of her friends again.

So much death and violence. They were just kids. True, they were on the verge of adulthood, but in many ways they were still children. They were very much still students, and they had witnessed and experienced chaos, death, and grief at way too early of an age. Winter remembered her own childhood, when she had unknowingly noticed multiple employees disappearing, when a few close relatives would refuse to visit, when some of her family's closest friends were injured or outright killed by the White Fang.

Qrow had remained silent since their argument. Winter wanted to turn her head to look at him, but she didn't. She didn't want to see his scorn or his anger, and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. So they carried on in a somber, tense silence for hours. It felt like an eternity to Winter, but when she tiredly looked up at the sky a long while later, the sun had nearly set. The sky was a dark magenta color, shot with streaks of pale yellow and orange, disappearing into a deep purple color. A few stars were already beginning to show. Neither had said anything, but Winter knew one of them would have to speak up.

"We should stop, set up camp," Winter said slowly. "It's getting dark-,"

"Good observation," Qrow chimed in sarcastically. Winter's cheeks burned with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"So the smart thing to do would be to stop and rest for the night!" she snapped. "Is that fine with you?" Her hands clenched into fists at her side and she took a few deep breaths, trying to remain collected. It was a few moments before Qrow answered.

"Yes, that's alright with me," he said quietly. Winter breathed out a slow sigh.

"Good. Let's set it up over here. The forest opens up a bit," Winter said sharply, walking towards the trees. The slow steps of Qrow echoed behind her, and Winter almost smiled. For once, she felt like she had actually won against him. Served him right.

"Less than an hour later, the two Hunters had a steady fire going, and Winter had managed to find decent enough blankets and items for sleeping. She hadn't packed anything for a tent, something she hadn't thought of when she had left her base back in Atlas. Qrow hadn't asked for anything to sleep on, and Winter was reluctant to give him anything. She had finally offered him a blanket, but he had stoutly refused, and that was the end of that. Winter was not in the mood for pushing him that night. So they sat in the same silence they had walked in. Winter pulled a heavy blanket around, leaning her back up against a tree as she stared at the fire. When she raised her eyes for a brief moment, looking across the fire, Qrow was staring at her. She immediately averted her eyes.

"Schnee," Qrow began, breaking the silence.

"I'm tired, Qrow," Winter muttered, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

"Schnee!" Winter's eyes snapped open as she glared across the fire.

"What, Qrow?" she growled.

"About what I said earlier-," Winter's mind flashed back to Penny, the image of the broken girl she had seen replaying in her mind.

"I really would rather not talk about that," she muttered.

"Well, too bad, because I want to say something," Qrow said, snapping his flask out and taking a long drink before turning back to Winter. "I may have been … a little out of line earlier with what I said." Winter kept her gaze turned, still refusing to look at him. "It wasn't right. Saying you caused the death of that girl was uncalled for, and it was pretty despicable, even for me, to say." Winter finally looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "That girl's death was an awful accident. If it was the fault of anyone's, it's the person who caused everything in Vale and destroyed Beacon. It's not on you, it's not even on Jimmy."

"I'm not in the mood for games, Qrow," Winter mumbled.

"I'm not lying." Winter raised her head, staring at him for a moment. She wasn't sure if she believed him. But he continued on anyways, now staring at the fire with a distant look in his eye.

"My niece knew the girl too," he said. "Watched her friend get torn apart. I don't know what amazed me more; the fact that she is doing her best to move on, or the fact that she protected and stood up for her friend that tore apart the robot girl. Pyrrha Nikos." His eyes slanted downwards, and he frowned. He actually looked sad, and Winter was scared to ask about the Pyrrha Nikos girl, the one who's face had been the face of fame, turned the face of a murderer, if one counted ripping apart a sentient robot as murder. Winter couldn't be sure. But given Qrow's pause, and the saddened look on his face at the mention of the redheaded girl, Winter could guess at what happened to her. Another one of Weiss' friends. She had been trying to comfort Weiss the few times she had communicated with her, and she hadn't even known how much her little sister had lost, how much she had endured.

"I'm sorry. For your niece," Winter said, quickly adding on, "Both of them." Qrow glanced at her, a rueful smile on his lips.

"Again, not your fault. And I don't think anything you had done could have prevented it from happening. Even old Oz wasn't strong enough to save Vale." Winter had felt a wave of anger until he voiced the last statement, and she couldn't help but admit it was probably true. She prided herself on her skill, on her ranking in the Atlesian army. But Professor Ozpin was something else, and if he could not have prevented it all from happening, would Winter have had any better luck? "I'm sorry too. For your little sister."

"I … it could have been worse. She's fine, and she's safe, and that's all that matters."

"Is it though?" The image of a fairly tall, pale man with snow white hair flashed into her mind. Winter's mouth formed a grim, straight line as she clenched her teeth.

"I am extremely thankful that Weiss is safe."

"But you're mad."

"I'm not mad at Weiss!"

"Not Weiss, idiot. Old Papa Schnee!" Winter could have sworn her heart missed a beat, and she internally chastised herself. _Don't be ridiculous. Weiss is safe, even with Father. He would never …_ She stopped her thoughts there.

"What do you know about my father?" Winter asked Qrow in annoyance. The older man leaned back, slipping his arms behind his head.

"I heard he actually came to Vale and picked up your little sister. Grabbed her and flew as fast as he could back to Atlas before anything else happened."

"Yes, he did. Your point?" She asked in a clipped tone. Qrow raised any eyebrow.

"Why are you so defensive about the subject? Why do you freeze up whenever I mention your father?"

"I don't-,"

"I admit, you hide it fairly decently, but even an ice-cold person like you shows emotion." Qrow leaned forward, propping his head against his knees. "So, I take it your relationship with the old man is not exactly sympatico at the moment?" Winter hesitated, wringing her hands together. She hated saying anything, but they were alone in the marshes with no way to contact anyone. Might as well spend some of the night talking.

"My father… he's not a completely awful person. Everyone always views him as this stone cold man with Lien-filled pockets and a secret agenda. They say him as a businessman out to make money, even through less flattering means if needed." Qrow waited, his attention solely on Winter, and he lazily motioned for her to continue when she paused. "Well, sometimes things were a little on the "less flattering" side. But what only I, Weiss, and a few close workers and friends understood was how much he went through. For years, since even Weiss was a toddler, he's had to deal with raids and attacks from the White Fang. Stores would be ransacked, Dust crates stolen, employees were even killed. Killed! I had a few relatives even who disappeared. And my father lived through it all, endured it all, and kept the company afloat. He kept our family alive. He was cold, and distant, and when things got really bad in the company and the amount of attacks and raids increased, he was really hard on Weiss and I. We felt like we kept disappointing him, and he didn't usually try to hide his feelings around us. Eventually, the two of us, we stopped caring." Winter didn't know why she kept talking, why she shifted the conversation to Weiss and herself, but now she was rambling and she couldn't, or wouldn't, stop. "Both of us were expected to help Father and eventually take over the company. Obviously, it passed to me as the eldest."

"Except here you are, a prim and proper Atlas Specialist, and Daddy dearest is still taking care of the family business," Qrow chimed in, a tiny grin on his face. Winter grimaced and glared at Qrow, silencing him with a look. He lifted his hands in surrender and politely folded them in his lap, waiting for her to go on.

"I had little interest in continuing the family tradition. I wanted more in my life. I wanted to be a Huntress. Of course, at Atlas, it's the norm to eventually join the military. But I grew to enjoy it, and I soon found out about the Atlesian Specialists." She looked him dead in the eye. "I'm sure you know the rest about me. I gave up my right as heir, and it passed on to Weiss. But she didn't want to take over the company either. She went one step further; she left Atlas altogether to attend Beacon. It made Father furious." Winter laughed at that, remembering the day she had wished Weiss goodbye, and stifled a triumphant smile at her father's barely contained anger and annoyance. She stopped when she noticed Qrow still staring at her, and smoothed out her blanket.

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't become some company CEO. Because despite your short temper, you're one hell of a Huntress." Her hands froze for a second and her eyes snapped up to look at Qrow. He had his eyes closed, and looked like he was half asleep, leaning against the tree. But she had heard the words correctly, she knew. She didn't say anything, but inside she felt a wave of gratitude, and relief. For years, all she had done was try to get away from the normal Schnee life. It felt so liberating to hear that the life she had chosen was better, that she was good at her job. She pulled the blanket around her, laying her head in the crook of her arm and closing her eyes, hoping Qrow knew that his comment meant a lot. "And Ice Queen?"

"Yes, Qrow?" she mumbled.

"I'm sorry." Winter shifted, keeping her eyes closed. Neither one of them had to say anything; they knew what he was talking about. They fell back into silence, and Winter was asleep within ten, fifteen minutes.

The fire was dying slowly, still bright enough to create a a little halo of light around the tiny clearing. Qrow was pushing at the few logs left in the fire with a stick. He kept thinking of Winter's face, of how concerned she had been over her sister, and how nervous even the mention of her father made her. For as long as he had known the fiery Specialist, he had never seen her reveal her emotions, certainly not to the degree she just had. All he ever saw when they met was a strict, obedient soldier, definitely strong and even brave, but short-tempered and closed-off. When he glanced up at Winter, she was sleeping fitfully, tossing to one side, the blanket haphazardly thrown to the side. The Huntsman got up, grabbing the blanket and covering Winter back up with it.

"Qrow." He stopped, shifting his gaze to Winter, expecting her slate blue eyes to be glaring at him. But she was still asleep, her long white bangs covering half her face. Qrow's eyebrows raised, and he lightly poked the woman in the shoulder. She grunted, mumbling what sounded like his name once more, but she didn't wake up or say anything else after that. Qrow's gaze softened a bit, and he pulled the blanket a bit higher before returning to his spot by the fire, watching the flames die down to not much more than glowing embers.

"Night, Ice Queen," he said softly.

 **XXX**

 **So, I hope you liked the chapter! This one was, obviously, less action packed than previous ones, but I think it was necessary for Qrow and Winter to take things a little slower, and to actually talk about things. This story takes place about a month after the attack on Vale, so people, including these two, are still a bit shaken up about everything. I will say I don't know how I feel altogether about this chapter; for the most part I like how it came out, but I'm wondering if I should have changed a few things during Qrow and Winter's dialogue about Penny and Weiss. Tell me if you guys think I did okay. I hope Qrow and Winter haven't been too OOC; I've been trying really hard to keep them to their truest self, trying to keep their dialogue and personalities the same or close to the show's depiction.**

 **But anyways, here it is! The next chapter might take a little longer to come out, but I am trying to stay on a constant schedule of updating between every 1 to 2 weeks. We'll see if I can keep that up!**

 **As always, I love reviews, they motivate me a lot, and they tell me what you liked, what you might have wanted to happen differently, etc. Please PLEASE review!**

 **Hope you all have a good day, week, life! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay! New chapter up! Author's note at the end :)**

 **Qrow, Winter, Remnant, and RWBY is owned by RT.**

 **XXX**

The next day, Winter groggily woke up to a hand shaking her shoulder roughly. Qrow stood above, already packed and ready to go. Winter hastily gathered her things and grabbed a small nutrition bar from her bag. It would have to do for her breakfast, since Qrow seemed insistent on remaining on some sort of schedule. They were back to walking the same road they had been walking for the past day. Winter wished she could have taken her airship the entire way. But she doubted anyone in Mistral would allow an Atlesian airship to land near any city, especially a young Atlesian Specialist who was suspiciously alone and on her own, private mission.

Their conversation the night before seemed to have smoothed things over. Winter didn't know if it was temporary, or if perhaps some respect had been earned on both sides from the night before. Winter didn't dare to think it was the beginning of friendship; the word seemed too foreign a concept to apply to Qrow. Especially when Qrow casually suggested she should train more that morning.

"Pardon me?" she exclaimed, her eyebrows raising. Qrow didn't turn to look at her, just kept his gaze ahead, slightly hunched over.

"I'm just saying." He picked at his beard a moment, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I mean, you were alright against those idiots back at that bar. You're quite skilled with your Semblance. But you could still use some work."

"I was trained by some of the top military leaders and Specialists at the Atlesian Academy!"

"Doesn't mean you stop learning the moment you graduate. A week in the field is worth a day in class. Seeing as how you do a lot of walking around and acting formal over actual fighting, training couldn't hurt."

"I do train, Qrow," Winter growled. Qrow shrugged.

"Just saying," he said nonchalantly.

"How about you keep your mouth shut instead?" He shrugged again, as if he couldn't care less about her opinion on the matter. Winter held back a retort. They fell into silence again, for a while, continuing their walk. Winter almost felt tired from staring at the same, dirt road for hours on end. By early afternoon, Winter noticed Qrow looked almost uneasy. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders tensed, and eyes darting to the tree repeatedly. Winter debated whether she should say something, ask him what was wrong, but decided against it. Qrow wouldn't appreciate it, nor would he ever tell her anything willingly like that.

"Today should probably be our last day on this forsaken road," Qrow said later that day. The sky was pink was the setting sun, which had just disappeared behind the mountains in the distance.

"Good," Winter said. "We'll be entering the city tomorrow then?"

"At least the outer edges of a city," Qrow replied.

" _A_ city?" Winter questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"There's a smaller city between us and Haven's location."

"Great. And you didn't tell me because?"

"You never asked. Besides, Ice Queen, we'll get there. Don't worry about it," he said. "Worrying won't get us there any faster." Winter threw her hands in the air.

"Why do I even bother with you!" she growled. Qrow merely turned to her, winked, and then turned back away.

"I'm going to go find a place to set up camp," he offered, already walking away to the tree line and disappearing into the shadows. Winter sighed and waited in the middle of the road. A crow cawed above her and flew away, towards the forest. _Where are you, Qrow?_ She wondered. Surely it wasn't that hard to find a place to sleep for one night. Out of nowhere, the sound of an explosion filled the air, and a wild screaming followed. Winter's head snapped up, trying to figure out which direction the screaming was coming from. _Sounds like...east? No, north. Definitely north._ Winter began running, pulling out her sabre. _Qrow can find me soon enough. There could be people in trouble._ Winter sped through the forest, her glyphs appearing beneath her and forming a glowing, white path that increased her speed. The trees began to thin out, and Winter skidded to a halt and stabbed her sabre into the ground to stop herself. A cliff jutted out less than five feet away, looking out onto the mountains, another section of the forest, and a tiny clearing below.

The screaming had stopped, and transformed into laughing. Actually, the person was guffawing, dying from laughter from the sounds of it. Winter's eyes fell below on the light of a tiny fire, far beneath her. A young woman, probably a teen girl, was sitting by the fire, her head thrown back as she jabbed an arm at the person next to her. The dark haired person's words didn't reach Winter's ears, but the ginger haired girl began jabbering away again. There were two other people around the fire, sitting opposite the dark haired and ginger teens. Winter was about to turn away, not seeing any trouble, when her eyes fell on one of the four people, realizing that she recognized the girl. The other three seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember seeing their faces in person ever. The other person, however, had a head of dark hair, and a bright red cloak wrapped around her like a blanket. Qrow's niece and Weiss' teammate and friend, Ruby Rose. Winter stepped back quickly, as if seeing Ruby Rose was the same as seeing a ghost.

What were these four doing here? Why wasn't Ruby at home? Qrow had said both Ruby and her sister had been hurt. Didn't she have a father who was worried, a sister who needed her? Shouldn't she be trying to stay safe at home instead of out and abroad in a different kingdom during a time of tension and possible war?

"Ice Queen, where did you go?" Winter turned as Qrow began to push his way through the trees. "Why the hell would you run off-,"

"Did you know your niece was, what, less than a mile away?" Winter asked abruptly, staring him directly in the eye. Qrow stared back, setting his jaw. The look said it all. "Qrow, I-i don't even know where to begin."

"Listen Ice Queen, I can explain," he said, staring at her with an expression that said he was about to spill a secret.

"I hope so," Winter replied, trying to remain calm. "I know you haven't told me everything Qrow, but I don't see why you couldn't tell me this?"

"To be honest, it didn't seem that important. And…," he paused, his gaze softening as he glanced down the cliff at the four kids below. "I've just been trying to watch out for her."

"So why is she and a bunch of Beacon freshmen out in the middle of the swamps of Mistral?" Qrow ran a hand through his hair, looking anywhere but Winter. She raised an eyebrow. "Qrow?"

"I may or may not have told my niece that the enemy was at Haven."

"Why would you tell her that?" Winter asked, biting back the shock and frustration in her.

"So she would decide whether she wanted to go or not. And take her friends with her."

"And again, why?"

"They lost their friends because of the people we're hunting. If anyone deserved a chance to find them, they did." Winter frowned. She wanted to argue, but Qrow's rationalization made sense. If someone had hurt Weiss, Winter would want to personally hunt that person down themselves.

"So why are we here if your niece and her makeshift team are on it?" Winter asked. Qrow snorted.

"Besides the fact that they're emotionally charged kids who haven't even finished half of their time at Beacon?" he said wryly, raising an eyebrow. "There's more to this than just a couple of people who ordered an attack on Beacon. I've been on a mission for Ozpin and Jimmy for months trying to figure out more of the plan. After Amber was attacked-,"

"Who's Amber?" Winter asked.

"I'll tell you when we're back at our own camp. I'd like to keep Ruby unaware of the fact that we're here, if you don't mind," he grumbled. Winter reluctantly stepped away from the cliff and followed Qrow back to the site he had made for the night. A half an hour later, a fire was going, and Winter was sitting across from Qrow as he told her his long story, his mission Ozpin had given him, and something Winter never thought would have existed.

"Qrow, you just told me a fairy tale."

"Believe me or not. It's true," Qrow said with a shrug. "Very few know about the Maidens because we, the Brotherhood, have protected them and kept it all a secret. For reasons that should be obvious now that Amber's dead, too many people would go after the Maidens if they knew about the power they hold."

"Magic. It's absurd," Winter said with a shake of her head.

"So is creating a sentient robot with an Aura," Qrow fired back. "Trust me, you're not the first to think this whole is crazy. I didn't believe it for a long time, until I witnessed it firsthand." Winter thought about the idea. As crazy as it seemed, Qrow appeared to be dead serious about this, which was a rare occurrence. If he claimed to have seen one of the Maidens, he was probably telling the truth.

"One Maiden was killed. That's how the woman got so much power and killed Miss Nikos and fought off Ozpin," Winter said slowly. Qrow nodded. "You said there were 4. You know who the other 3 are?"

"For the most part, yes. We're given enough information on them to know who they are and keep an eye out for them if we think they're in danger. But we also let them live their own lives. Their powers are kept a secret from the world, so they don't have to be guarded every second of the day."

"We need to find the other 3, then. Right?"

"I'm glad you said that," Qrow said with a lopsided grin. "Because I wanted to change our … mission parameters, if you will." Winter sighed, rolling her eyes before sitting up straight and clapping her hands together.

"Fine, Qrow. What's being changed?"

"I think that, for the most part, we can let the kids take care of the kids. They'll find the people working for the enemy." Qrow's red eyes flared with a solemn determination. "We need to find the other 3 Maidens."

"The Brotherhood," Winter said with realization, eyes widening as she began to guess Qrow's plan.

"The Brotherhood cannot operate anymore if we can't communicate. The destruction of the CCT has changed everything. The enemy sought out the Fall Maiden. They went after her again and again, until they had stolen all of her power. A Maiden's power is hard to be rivaled, and it's completely different from any Dust-powered machine or Hunter's Semblance. To think that our enemy only needed, or only wanted, just one Maiden's power is wishful thinking."

"You think someone's going to go after the other Maidens," Winter guessed.

"We know, because of the attack on Amber, that our enemy doesn't need to kill the Maidens to gain their power, though they certainly aren't above it. They have something that can steal the Maiden's power."

"What is it?" Winter asked.

"I don't know for sure. When I tried to save Amber, the woman had something that stuck to Amber's face. By the time I got to her, Amber was physically scarred and left in a coma. I severed whatever was sucking the power out of her, but half of her power had already been stolen. And that didn't stop the woman from infiltrating Beacon to find Amber."

"So we find the other Maidens before anyone else can. Easier said than done, but doable, I'm sure," Winter said with a nod.

"That's an understatement. With the state of things, the Maidens have hopefully gone into hiding."

"Say we find the Maidens. What then? We take them with us? Keep them somewhere hidden and protected? Ask them to work with us?" Qrow rubbed the back of his head, giving her a lazy, nonchalant smile.

"I'm still sort of working out the kinks to this plan. I was thinking we'd figure that out once we actually found a Maiden."

"How you ever graduated Beacon Academy is beyond me," Winter muttered. Qrow grinned, then reached into a pocket and pulled out a thin piece of paper. He held it out to Winter, who took it, turning it over carefully in her hand. It was a photograph of a young woman, probably in her twenties. She had olive toned skin, black hair cut into a pixie cut, and slate blue eyes that looked very tired. She looked like your everyday woman. Nothing about her really screamed 'magical'.

"That's one of the current Maidens. At least, she was last I checked," Qrow amended. Winter frowned. They were searching for people who were probably being hunted down. For all they knew, this woman was dead.

"How do we know they're all in Mistral?" she asked.

"To be honest, they probably all aren't. The Maidens move around a lot. They usually won't stay in one place more than a month. Maybe a year tops, if they really feel the need. But a Maiden's main duty is to help and protect the people of Remnant. So they usually travel around, looking for people in need of their help."

"Indeed. In that case, we should hurry before our enemies find them first," Winter said, standing up. Qrow looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.

"We have to rest at some point, Schnee," he said, closing his eyes.

"I know. But before we do, I think we should get some training in." Qrow's eyes snapped open, and Winter almost wished she hadn't said those words. "You mentioned training earlier. Does the offer still stand?"

"It was more of a suggestion than an offer," Qrow said, but he was already climbing to his feet, pulling out his scythe from behind his back. "But I think we have time." He grinned at her, the same wicked smile he had given the two men at the bar. Winter pulled out her own sabres. "Don't hold back," Qrow added.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Winter said with a tiny smile of her own, and shot forward. Her sabres instantly clashed with Qrow's sword, and he shoved her back, slashing the air with his weapon. Winter jumped back, kicking up dirt as she skidded back a few feet. Qrow aimed his sword at her, and Winter jumped high into the air as a bullet whizzed beneath her. When she landed, Qrow was still grinning, already the picture of a triumphant winner.

"Come on, Ice Queen," he drawled. "Surely that's not all? If you want to train, you've got to put up a fight!" Winter clenched her teeth and focused on her Semblance. The Summoning glyph appeared beneath her, and the tiny Nevermores began to swarm around her. _I hope he doesn't think he'll be able to just stand there the whole time_ , Winter thought as the Nevermores suddenly aimed towards Qrow and began to bombard him. Winter heard him grunt. She could see him covering his face and trying to cut through the Nevermores. Taking the opportunity, Winter thought of her glyphs and the pattern she wanted them in, and immediately the glowing white line of glyphs appeared. She ran along them, almost laughing at the sudden exhilaration her newfound speed gave her, before lunging at Qrow.

Qrow looked up through the veil of Nevermore apparitions, bringing his sword up to deflect Winter's attack. Their swords met again, and Qrow shedded her sword before slicing his upwards, catching her sabre's hilt and knocking it away from her, leaving Winter with her secondary dagger. Qrow tried to stifle a smile at Winter's face. The woman looked almost bewildered at her empty hand, staring at the lone dagger. He brought his own sword up, aiming the gun at Winter. In a flash, Winter stabbed her blade into the ground. Ice shards shot up, spreading around the clearing in a flurry. Qrow moved forward, bringing his sword down on the ice and cutting it in one, clean swipe. Too late, Qrow realized the ice wasn't just part of the attack, it doubled as a distraction too.

Winter had somehow ended up behind him, and she brought her knee up and kicked, shoving him forward. Qrow stumbled, trying to find his footing again. Just as he turned, Winter slammed the pommel of her dagger into his cheek. Qrow fell backwards, rubbing his chin and groaning. Winter froze mid-strike.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Did I hurt you?" Qrow laughed, not only at her sudden concern, but at the thought that one hit like that could possible take him out.

"I don't go down that easily, Ice Queen." He rubbed his jaw, wincing a bit. It would be sore there by tomorrow. "Though I can tell you didn't pull your punches." Winter straightened up, quickly putting her two swords back together and sheathing the weapon before dusting her pants off.

"Yes, well. I might have gotten a bit carried away."

"Sure," Qrow said with a snicker, before he slumped against a tree. Winter raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?"

"It's just a bit of sparring, Schnee. We can't fight until we pass out everyday, especially if we're planning on fighting our way out of tough situations in the near future." He pulled out his flask, chugging down the liquid inside. "So get some rest. We leave bright and early tomorrow, and I plan on getting to that city before nightfall." Winter nodded, finding her pack and lying down next to it, staring at the stars above her. They were beautiful out here in these mountain ranges and swamplands. She could never see many stars in Atlas. Too many cities and bright lights everywhere. Her mind flashed to the woman from Qrow's photograph. Qrow hadn't even mentioned which Maiden she was. It didn't matter much though. As long as they found this mystery woman first. Winter knew what would happen if they didn't.

 **XXX**

 **Woohoo! I finally got another chapter up! Sorry it took so long, but I've had babysitting jobs, other writing, and a bunch of random events getting in the way. Thanks for sticking with this! I know, it's another 'journeying' chapter. I promise you, this chapter was needed and this is moving along :) This chapter was originally going to be shorter, but then I was like, 'you know, I want them to get to this city soon, and it's been so long since I posted,' so I wrote some more and added the sparring at the end.**

 **Thanks to everyone who left a review, followed, favorited, and read this story! I can't believe so many people have read this and enjoyed it! Trust me, it makes me very, very happy!**

 **Boliechr - You asked if other characters will appear in this besides Qrow and Winter. Well, we briefly saw RNJR in this chapter, and Glynda and Ironwood appeared at the beginning. So, I think the most I can say is some canon characters will probably appear here and there, and maybe one or two of them will have slightly big parts, but this story is mainly focused on Winter and Qrow and their journey. You will see canon and non-canon characters, and they will play their respective parts, but this is Winter and Qrow's story more than anyone else's.**

 **I don't know when the next update will be, but I have ideas on how the next chapter will begin, so I'm working on it. Thanks for your understanding, support, and excitement for this story! It means so much!**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Woo! Finally, another chapter up again! Author's note at bottom :)**

 **Not sure if it needs to be said over and over, but RWBY is not mine.**

 **XXX**

"Schnee, we're entering the city." Winter looked up, lifting the hood of her jacket away from her face. Modern, though rustic, buildings had appeared before them, as if they had sprung up from the ground. A few archways with small booths barred the way, forcing visitors to check in before gaining access to the city. Most likely a new addition after the attack on Vale. Winter guessed that the Mistral council wanted to keep foreigners, especially Atlesians, out.

Earlier that morning, Qrow had again woken Winter up, and insisted on leaving early. She briefly wondered whether his niece and her friends had left, and if this was the cause for his persistence on leaving. Nevertheless, Winter obliged, quickly packing up her things. She offered the suggestion of training once more before they reached the city, but Qrow had turned down the offer.

"Shouldn't we see each other at our full strength, so we know what we can handle?" Winter had asked. Qrow snorted.

"Three things, Ice Queen," Qrow said. "One, there's no reason to use our full strength, especially since we may need it later on. Two, I can handle pretty much anything. And three, you haven't showed me everything you can do either."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're Summoning. You've only used it a few times around me, and you've Summoned the same things over and over. I know you can Summon more than a few birds." Winter frowned.

"If you know already, there's no point in my Summoning anything bigger. Besides it takes a lot of energy." Winter glanced at his sword, hanging on his back as usual. "You didn't use your weapon in it's scythe form."

"If you already know, there's no point in me using it," Qrow retorted with a grin. Winter rolled her eyes, and the two fell back into mild talk about the journey, and when they would reach the city.

Here they were. After days of walking, they had finally made it here.

"So," Qrow drawled, breaking Winter out of her thoughts. "Ideas for getting past the main gates?" Winter narrowed her eyes, peering at the gates. It seemed that one would have to go through and speak with a guard, possibly a member of the police, before being allowed to enter.

"You don't think we can just ask to enter?" Winter questioned, knowing how naive she sounded. Qrow scoffed.

"Please, you look like Atlas threw up on you." Winter began to protest but he shushed her. "Besides, we have no good story. They've probably been told to keep a look out for anyone from Atlas, and I don't think my being from Vale will help. We need to sneak in." Qrow's eyes twinkled, and his eyebrows reached his temple. "And I may have an idea on how to do it." Winter grimaced. She could think of no way to get into the city legally, so if Qrow had an idea, it was probably illegal, very bad, and most likely dangerous.

"And your idea is?" Winter asked slowly.

"You can summon defeated enemies, right?"

" … Yes."

"Well, maybe you could provide a distraction," he said, waggling his eyebrows. Winter's head snapped towards him.

"You want me to use my Semblance to attack people? People who are probably police? Maybe even Hunters?" she asked in disbelief.

"Not attack," Qrow scoffed. "Just … distract." Winter kept staring at him. He sighed. "Come on, do you have a better plan?"

"You can't think of another way to get us into the city?"

"Well, I have a way I could get in, but that would leave you out here," Qrow said. Winter gritted her teeth and crossed her arms, giving Qrow the most annoyed expression he could muster. Finally, after seeing Qrow's own expression of determination, she sighed.

"I cannot believe I am about to do this," she muttered, rubbing her temple. Qrow grinned, clapping Winter roughly on the shoulder.

"That's the spirit, Ice Queen."

"Stand back, Qrow," Winter muttered, furrowing her brows in concentration. Her usual flock of Nevermores probably wouldn't be enough. But Summoning more than one of anything larger would take a lot of energy. Best to probably stick with one Grimm. Her Summoning glyph appeared beneath her, large and glowing. The swords on the glyph began to spin faster, and the pale outline of a figure appeared by Winter. It grew larger, surpassing Winter in height and width, pale, spiky fur covering its spectral body.

The policewoman lounging in the tollbooth at the gate woke up with a start, the ground beneath her feet beginning to rumble. She poked her head out the booth's window, tipping her hat to see what was causing the mini earthquake. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open. Roaring and grunting before her was a giant Ursa. It reared up on its hind legs and began to batter at the gate, letting out a rumbling growl. The policewoman grabbed her walkie-talkie, screeching into it rapidly and calling for backup while simultaneously leaping out of the booth as the Ursa smashed its enormous paw into the booth. Chunks of metal and concrete flew everywhere just as four more policemen joined the woman, whipping out their guns and firing at the creature.

Meanwhile, Qrow and Winter skirted the edge of the gate, running to the section of the gate that was farthest from the police and the destruction caused by Winter's incorporeal Ursa. Winter stumbled after Qrow, her forehead covered in so much sweat that her bangs were plastered to right side of her face. She panted, trying to remain focused on keeping her Ursa from fading into nothingness, while also getting past the gate and its guard. A groan slipped from her lips and she stumbled again. Qrow shot a look at her, giving her a once over, before pulling her right arm over his shoulders, and slipping an arm around her waist.

"Come on, Ice Queen. Don't give up on me now," he growled, half-dragging her as he ran. "I need you to keep it up. Just a little farther." Winter pressed her lips together, holding back another groan. She stumbled after Qrow, leaning heavily against him. When they reached the gate, Winter glanced up at it with unconcealed horror. How were they going to scale the massive gate?

"Okay Schnee, either you use your glyphs to give us a boost up-," Winter shot Qrow a glare, and he held up his hands. "- Or, we have to climb this. And you have to keep your Summon up until we're over this gate." Winter bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons in her head. Shouting erupted to their left, and the muffled roar of the Summoned Ursa followed. Qrow's expression shifted into an impatient one. "Not to be rude or pushy, but we don't have a lot of time to think about a decision here." Winter gritted her teeth and shrugged Qrow's arm off.

"We'll climb," she mumbled, grabbing at the metal designs on the gate and pulling herself up. Beads of sweat slipped down her cheeks. Qrow gave her a dubious look, pulling himself up after her.

"Schnee, are you sure you can make it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "You-,"

"Shut up, Qrow!" Winter snapped, continuing her climb. By now her breath was coming out in heavy hisses of pain, but Winter kept pushing. _I'm an Atlesian Specialist. I've been through rougher than this! I will not be weak!_ She almost started at her last thought, realizing that was something more similar to one of her father's sayings than any military motto. _A Schnee is not weak. You must stay strong, so your enemies won't underestimate you. You want to intimidate your enemies._ Winter shook the thoughts out of her head and kept climbing, bracing her feet against the interlocking metal designs that flowed in a swirling pattern. The noises of the battle at the other end of the long gate had not died down yet, and it sounded like more police had joined to defeat the Ursa. Or worse, a Hunter. Just what they needed. Hunters and the authorities of another kingdom to see them illegally scaling their gate. Winter could feel the Summon growing weaker, could feel her power weakening and her Aura slowly drain …

Winter gasped loudly, and something inside of her rebounded. Qrow's head whipped around to face her, his face alert in a fierce and almost concerned way. Winter could tell the Ursa was gone. She had pushed herself too far, and had too quickly drained her Aura. Before too long, the police would notice them, and there would be no Summoned Grimm to distract them. Winter's grasp on the metal bars began to loosen, and she grunted in pain, feeling fatigued. She laid her head against the cool metal, her muscles protesting. _Keep moving, keep moving._ Her right hand grasped at one of the gate's metal rods, but the sweat on her hand made everything seem slippery. She couldn't get a good enough hold, and she was still exhausted; it felt like a hassle to keep her eyes open. Something grabbed her wrist and yanked her up.

"Schnee!" Qrow's hushed voice came out in a hiss. Winter blinked blearily. "Come on! You can't rest now!" Winter squeezed her eyes shut, before trying to climb again. Her entire body felt slow and sluggish. She could do it. She could climb up the fence, but would it be fast enough? Qrow's hold on her hand tightened, and he pulled her up farther. "Do I have to carry you?" he asked, and though he seemed annoyed, Winter could tell it was a serious question. Qrow didn't want to get caught, and if that meant carrying her up himself, he'd probably do it. Or maybe he would just leave her there. Winter stared at Qrow for a minute, taking in deep breaths and focusing all her energy.

"In 10 seconds, jump off of the gate," Winter instructed in a low tone. Qrow looked at her as if she had turned into a Grimm. Her tugged on her wrist again, and she yanked it out of his grasp.

"Schnee, what-," he said before pausing. The realization of what she was about to do hit him, and he looked down at her, his mouth a grim line. "Can you do it?" Winter thought for a second before nodding. She had to do it; if this didn't work, they'd either be dead or sitting in a Mistral prison for years to come. A white light pulsed beneath her, and Winter let go of the gate.

"Qrow, now!" she cried as she pushed herself into the air. Qrow didn't hesitate as he followed suit, pushing himself off the gate. A giant, black glyph appeared beneath them. Winter fell directly in the center, Qrow a second later, and they had just enough time to brace themselves as the glyph turned red and shot them upwards, high into the sky over the gate, Winter furrowed her brow, and a path of glyphs appeared in the air just below her, allowing the two Hunters to run across the glyphs before jumping off. The fall only last about 5 seconds, and they rolled onto the ground, small clouds of dust circling their wake.

Winter groaned, pulling herself onto her knees. She had been too tired to make another glyph to help with the landing, but nothing seemed to be broken. She fell back onto her back, still breathing hard. The gate loomed about a hundred feet behind them, and the yells of the police officers sounded muffled and distant. Winter breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes. The grass beneath her felt as soft as a plush mattress. Maybe she could just rest here …

Something forcefully shook her shoulders, and she jerked up, glaring at the culprit - Qrow, naturally.

"We need to keep moving. We can rest once we find a place in the city," he persisted. Winter wanted to snap at him and yell that she had Summoned an Ursa and used her glyphs to get them over the gate and that she needed to take a breath. But she knew he was right. They had to move. Winter nodded slowly, taking his offered hand and hoisting herself up. The two made a break for the city, which was about a mile away tops. They didn't stop running until they reached the city, small chic restaurants and boutiques making up most of the streets. A few towering skyscrapers were dotted here and there, though it looked totally different from the clean, white buildings and towers of Atlas.

When Qrow finally stopped, Winter put her hands on her knees and gulped in breaths. Qrow looked around, his hawk-like eyes taking in everything. There weren't too many people on their street, and no one that looked threatening or dangerous. Mistral seemed surprisingly peaceful, or at least, what little they had seen seemed peaceful. Unlike the destruction that was now Vale, and the tension blanketing Atlas, the people of Mistral seemed carefree for the most part. One man was rapidly talking to his Scroll. A young couple was walking arm in arm down the street, the woman on the left laughing as she leaned heavily against the guy to the right.

"You okay?" Qrow asked in a low, somewhat absent-minded tone.

"Yes," Winter breathed, still swallowing in gulps of air.

"Okay. We made it in. That wasn't so hard, right?" Winter glanced up to see Qrow giving her a teasing grin. Her muscles tensed. If she had the energy, she would use her glyphs to send him rocketing into the sky. She scowled at him, and his mocking grin grew wider. "First things first. Off with the clothes." Winter's eyes popped out, and she suddenly sat up pin-straight.

"What?!"

"I mean, we should get some new clothes from a nearby store. So we don't stick out so much." He looked at her innocently, which let Winter immediately know he had been purposefully teasing her. "Honestly, Schnee, what did you think I meant?" Winter glared at him.

"Oh, shut up!" she said, throwing her hands in the air. She looked at her jacket, fingering the fur lining of the cuff. "I didn't think I stood out that much."

"Honestly, your entire face could use some work. You just look like a Schnee," Qrow commented unhelpfully. "Would you consider dying your hair?" Winter's eyebrows reached her hairline.

"I would prefer not!" she said in a dignified manner. Qrow rolled his eyes.

"Your looks that important to you?"

"I- no!" Winter drew herself up. "I just don't think it's necessary. Besides, what about you?" Qrow pointed at himself, the fake innocent look on his face.

"Me? I'm just an old, grisly drunkard that people would rather avoid. I don't stick out." His eyes raked over her. "I'm also not from the kingdom that had its own technology turned against itself." Winter's lip curled in anger, and she clenched her hands into fists. Qrow looked away, shoving his hands in his pocket. "I'm sorry, that slipped out." Winter sniffed before turning her head away. That was a low blow, even for Qrow. He seemed to realize that, at least. At least he looked a little ashamed of himself.

"We don't have time to go shopping or to stop at a salon," Winter insisted.

"How long is it going to take you to pick out a new outfit?"

After a few more minutes of back and forth, Winter finally agreed to stop in one of the stores and quickly grab some new clothes. She didn't say anything to Qrow, but she had to admit to herself that it felt nice to change out of her grubby, filthy hiking clothes. Hiking through the forests and swamps of Mistral took a toll on her outfit, and her boots and pants were spattered with mud. When she met Qrow outside of the tiny boutique they had stopped at, Winter was wearing dark grey pants, a navy blue, long sleeved shirt, a white vest, and pale grey, knee-high boots. An earlier visit to a salon left her hair in its natural color, but styled so that her hair hung down to her lower back, and her sideswept bangs had been curled, though something the stylist had done made them look longer. Qrow grinned at her when she exited, and her eyes narrowed, though the hint of a smile touched her lip.

"Not a word, Qrow," she warned. Qrow kept smiling, but did as he was told. The two began walking down the street. The sun wasn't quite setting yet, but it had begun its descent from its peak position in the sky. "What now, Qrow?"

"Now, we find the Maidens."

"Where to first?"

"Well, the rats usually come out at night," Qrow mused. Winter raised an eyebrow. "So let's see if they come crawling to us."

"Why do I even ask you questions?" Winter fixed the strap of her backpack, shifting the weight towards the center of her back. Qrow opened his mouth. "I know what you meant, Qrow. No need to explain it." He clamped his mouth shut, grinning. "So where would you suggest we wait for 'rats?'"

"Outskirts of the city would probably be the best place to start," Qrow advised. "Or any abandoned buildings."

"We can't be looking for that woman though," Winter said, mainly to herself. "If your niece is heading to Haven, we should keep an eye out for anyone who could pass as a student. Not that _that_ narrows it down a lot."

"We should keep an eye out for Faunus. The woman who orchestrated the attack on Vale had the White Fang working for her." Winter stiffened, pursing her lips. Qrow shot her a suspicious look, raising an eyebrow. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Not at all," she replied smoothly. And she was sure it wouldn't be. Probably. True, she held a bit of resentment towards the organization that had plagued her family's company and been the cause of the constant turmoil in her younger years. But if anything, how she felt would motivate her, make her fight harder. "If we find the White Fang, we will have to fight, though," Winter added.

"Probably. Not much we can do to blend in with them."

"There could be a meeting. But maybe not. It's been three weeks, and their leader is MIA, isn't she?" Winter was rambling now, her mind going through every scenario and possibility. "Maybe they've fallen apart. Maybe her accomplices have disappeared, or they're lying low. Maybe we should go to Haven and find the "students" who infiltrated Beacon."

"Schnee, relax," Qrow said, waving a hand at her, before lowering his voice. "We need to find the Maidens. At a time like this, keeping them safe is a top priority." Winter crossed her arms, sighing. It was hard to have such vague instructions, to have a mission with little to no parameters and no end goal in sight.

The two made their way to the outskirts of the city, finding themselves at one of many piers that lined the coast. They scoured the docks, checked in around the empty warehouses, watched ships silently float into the bay. Nothing was out of place. There were no Faunus, no suspicious people. No sign of the young woman they were looking for. Winter briefly noticed that none of the ships that pulled into the docks were owned by her father. Usually, trade with Mistral was peaceful enough, and brought in a decent amount of money. With the kingdoms all in a tense blanket of silence, the Schnee Company couldn't be making much of a profit.

When the sky began to lighten with the coming sun, they decided to call it quits for the night. The piers were opening up for the day ahead, and Winter surmised that their enemies would prefer to work at night, when they had a lower chance of being found. So the two found a small hotel, making up a ridiculous story about being from the mountains and visiting the city for the first time. Winter hastily accepted their room key before Qrow could spin a story about how she was his girlfriend, and practically shoved him away from the confused looking employee at the inn's desk. The room they had was small but chic and clean, and Winter, in a fairly undignified manner, plopped down onto her bed, closing her eyes and falling asleep within minutes. She didn't wake up until mid afternoon, and Qrow, who had also sprawled out on his bed, was asleep for another hour.

After they woke up and grabbed a bite to eat, they headed out again, checking the opposite side of town. This time, Winter spoke to some of the locals, trying her best to play the part of Mistral resident, albeit one from the wilderness.

"Have you noticed anything strange around these parts? Have there been any noticeable strangers or visitors recently? Have there been any White Fang protests recently?"

Her questions didn't get her far. Most of the people she spoke with knew very little, or were uninterested in talking. A small few made a few comments about Faunus, and one man began to question Winter on where she was from. After quickly explaining she was from the mountains of Mistral, Winter high-tailed it away. The entire day had passed, and when Winter returned to the hotel, it was past 2 AM. Qrow was lounging on his bed, waiting for her.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

"No," Winter grumbled. "Why, did you?"

"Actually, I did." Winter blinked, eyes widening slightly.

"Well then spill it Qrow!"

"I followed a group of Faunus to an abandoned docking bay," he began.

"How did you know they were part of the White Fang?" Winter interuppted.

"Well, I'd been following Faunus all day, hoping they might be part of the organization. None of them were, until I saw four Faunus head towards one of the ports. One held a map with three painted streaks on it. It's a symbol the White Fang try to keep among their members, so they can use it to send messages without letting humans know."

"What happened then?"

"They stopped by an abandoned boathouse, and one of them made the same three marks on the side of the building. I'd wager it's going to be the next meeting place."

"So, tomorrow night we can check it out!" Winter exclaimed. Qrow nodded. "We finally have a lead!"

"Don't get too excited, Schnee. We don't know if we'll find anything useful at this White Fang meeting."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But the White Fang were part of the attack on Vale. they were working with that woman. And they're still meeting with their members. If there's even a small chance of finding out anything, we should take it." Winter set her mouth into a determined line. "We've got nothing else to go on." Qrow shrugged.

"Guess you're right," he mumbled. "But don't get too confident anyways. Some of those White Fang members are complete loons, but some of them are pretty smart, and can fight as good as most Hunters."

"I'm not a child. I can handle them," Winter snapped. Qrow shrugged again, before closing his eyes.

"Get some sleep then. Tomorrow night could be a long one." Winter smiled softly. A lead, an actual lead. Something worthwhile. They'd make it count. They couldn't afford not to.

 **XXX**

 **I finally managed to finish another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's been a month since the last update, so I tried to make this a little on the longer side. The last few weeks have been busy ones for me, so writing has been hard. But, this chapter was kind of action filled, and was important for the plot, so all in all, I'm pretty ok with it. I wanted to continue farther, because I wanted to make this chapter longer and get to the next part I have planned, but it's been so long, and this was a good place to stop.**

 **I also hope there are fewer spelling mistakes. I tried my best, but I admit I was lazier in my spelling check :)**

 **WilliamRaineyHarlaw: Thank you for the correction! I noticed it right after I published the chapter (of course) and was mentally kicking myself over it for a good while! As for your suspicion, well, I don't really want to reveal too much plot or anything. But I will say that, again, Qrow and Winter will always be the main characters of this story, and to be honest, at this point, I'm not too worried about messing up with canon since canon hasn't even caught up to this point yet. RWBY Volume 4 will also have a few months of a timeskip rather than a few weeks, so naturally different things will have happened. I try to keep this close to what canon has happened already, but some things will be different from Volume 4.**

 **AnonymousPrick thank you so much! I'm flattered you think I'm doing this pairing justice. I didn't really realize many viewed this as a crack pairing until I talked with my friend, but to me, it just made sense. Clearly something, maybe not romantic, but SOMETHING happened between them. At least in my mind. And I thought their scenes together were great. So Voila, fanfic! As for a beta, I do not have a beta, and I am kind of up in the air about getting one. I'm usually okay with readers pointing out my mistakes, and I try my best to find them myself. I may have to get back to you on that.**

 **NinaVale thanks for your awesome review! I cannot reveal anything yet, of course, or give hints. Alls I will say is that I hope you enjoy this chapter, and future chapters :)**

 **Guest Thanks!**

 **For all my other readers and reviewers, thanks for commenting, following, and reading this fanfic! It really does mean a lot to me, and I'm so happy that you enjoy reading it! Thanks for your kindness and patience, and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Another chapter! Yay! I managed to get another chapter out (fairly quickly as well). I hope you enjoy, and as usual, author's note at bottom.**

 **Disclaimer: Again, I do not own RWBY or its characters.**

 **XXX**

"We're here, Ice Queen," Qrow said, holding out a hand to stop Winter. They were on an old pier on the southern side of the city, watching two teen Faunus quickly duck into the old, abandoned boathouse Qrow had found the day before. Winter nodded, and the two raced over to the building, ducking around the side. They'd been watching small groups of Faunus walk inside, and finally it seemed most had arrived. Winter put her hand on the wall, skimming a finger over three slashes in the siding; the White Fang's symbol.

"We've got to get inside," she murmured. "I doubt we can use the front door though."

"True," Qrow said, glancing upwards. "But maybe … hmm." He swung his sword out and stabbed it into the wall, creating a platform for him to stand on. He hopped onto his sword and began patting the building. "We could climb up to a window." He began to hook his feet into the wall, preparing to climb. Winter raised an eyebrow, rolling her eyes and she unsheathed her sabre.

"Please, Qrow," she sighed, shaking her head. Qrow glanced back at her, eyeing the weapon in her hand.

"You're sure? You're not too drained from your raging Ursa the other day?"

"It's been a full day. I'm fine," Winter scoffed. "Just get ready." A white glyph appeared beneath Qrow, dimly glowing in the darkness before turning bright red. Qrow jumped onto the glyph and shot up into the sky, landing on the roof of the boathouse. Winter smiled smugly to herself before doing the same, landing beside Qrow in a matter of seconds. Qrow grinned at her and gestured at the roof. A few feet away was a sunlight window. Winter nodded in return and crawled over to window, wincing as the old roof creaked under her weight. Every noise sounded as if it had been amplified by ten times. She peered down the window at the room below. Though no one was directly underneath, she could see the shadows of multiple people not too far. She could also see a platform with bridges on both sides of it, not too far below the window. They must have been used for supervisors and workers trying to carry supplies or tools.

Winter leaned forward and gently lifted the window, pushing it away from the opening. She poked her head through, looking for any nearby guards. No one was close by. She could, however, hear voices and the silent mumblings of the Faunus. _They must be on the other side of the building._ Winter slid her legs through the open window, creating a white glyph below her, and let herself fall for a mere second before landing on the glyph silently. She quickly moved aside for Qrow, who followed a second later. Qrow glanced at her for a split second before running in the other direction, Winter following him silently. The bridge spanned the entire length of the building it seemed, but the two Hunters stopped once the conversations of the Faunus became clearer.

"... us to be working. The attack changed nothing." Winter leaned forward. Ahead of them, on the floor of the building, a group of probably 30 Faunus were gathered in front of 2 White Fang lieutenants. Only the two lieutenants and a couple other Faunus were wearing the White Fang uniform, though nearly every Faunus had the characteristic mask on. One woman from the crowd, a Faunus with two horns protruding from her head, stepped forward, pointing a finger at the two lieutenants.

"The attack on Vale indeed changed nothing - because no one realizes that the White Fang were involved! Most people ignore the fact that our brothers and sisters were there, in the fight. What little news that has gotten around only talks about the Grimm!" the Faunus woman accused. She looked to be about 20 or 30 something; it was hard to tell with the mask over her face. Winter narrowed her eyes. These Faunus here … it was hard to tell if anyone in this group had been directly involved in the attack. The woman who had spoken didn't act like she'd been involved. Maybe no one here had. But they approved of it. They were okay with the deaths of the innocent Vale citizens. They were okay that students, _children_ had been forced to fight for their lives and run from their homes. The Faunus woman was angry that the White Fang hadn't received enough attention, not that they had launched the attack. Winter's hand tightened around the handle of her sabre. Qrow put a hand on her shoulder, an anchor so she wouldn't lose her temper.

"The White Fang's goal was more than just _attention_ ," one of the lieutenants snapped, her lip curling. A female lieutenant, it seemed. Given her mask and full White Fang uniform, it was hard to tell. The most noticeable feature among upper-ranking White Fang was their decorated masks, even more Grimm-looking than the plain, grey ones that the grunts wore. This lieutenant had red whorls and swirls decorating her mask and giving her a vulpine look. The other lieutenant had three jagged red lines that ran down the mask, meeting in a point at the bottom. Grimm masks to show what monsters they had become.

"We don't know know what's happening anymore!" the squeaky voice of another Faunus raised above the grumbling. "The damage to the CCT has cut down nearly all communication methods."

"We still have ways," the female lieutenant said smoothly. "The White Fang is still in operation. The agreement our leaders made with our recent allies has become difficult since the attack, given the odd situation they've found themselves in." She tilted her head down, and her tone hardened. "I'd like to remind you that the White Fang's goals have always remained the same. You know our goal. To elevate the status of Faunus. To let humans know that we aren't second class citizens, or thugs that wander their streets. To let them know they can't treat us like crap anymore." Her words became a snarl, and the mumbles of the crowd turned into the soft murmurs of agreement. Winter still found herself slightly amazed at how easily the White Fang wound the naive, young Faunus around their fingers. How easily these Faunus could be manipulated.

"So, are there any more big protests planned?" a male Faunus with antlers asked from the crowd.

"Of course. Given the current circumstances, our job is now to hold as many protests in the larger cities of the kingdom. Our only direct orders are to attack the cities further, so the negative energy will draw the Grimm."

"With a few extra … conditions." The male lieutenant spoke up. The female nodded, and pulled out a small, rectangular object, pressing her thumb down onto it. Soft thuds and mechanical sounds echoed throughout the building as three Atlesian Knight 200s marched past the lieutenants, stopping in front of the crowd of Faunus. The murmurs grew louder, a few Faunus pointing at the robots.

"While the White Fang wants to put itself at the front of this battle, we also have the priority of turning the kingdoms against each other," the vulpine lieutenant stated. "We'll be using the leftover Atlas technology our employer managed to obtain."

"We're using Atlas technology?" The horned Faunus asked dubiously. Someone muttered something behind her about the ridiculousness of it.

"We have to. The kingdoms already have limited contact with each other, thanks to the destruction of the CCT and the suspicion against Atlas for their own Knights turning against them. We've reached the brink of war. Our job is to push the kingdoms over the edge. That's why, if you are participating in the attack, you must also pick up a new uniform."

"Uniform?"

"You will receive one at the end of this meeting." Winter felt Qrow lean forward a bit too eagerly, trying to get a better look.

"Huh," he muttered, "I wonder what -," Winter grabbed his cape and yanked it back in an effort to both stop and silence him, but the damage had already been done. Winter quickly scooted backwards, pulling Qrow along with her, as the lieutenants heads swiveled around.

"Who's there?" Winter froze, and her gaze slid to Qrow's. He motioned at the window they had come through, and the two began to slowly back away towards the opened window.

"Senka!" The voice of the female lieutenant called out, and something dark warped behind Winter. She turned her head, drawing her sabre. A woman stood there, clothed in black and wearing a White Fang mask. Two, brown pigtails curled around her face, and her mouth, the only visible part of her face, twisted into a grin.

"Someone's been enjoying the show," the woman purred. "But it looks like you didn't get a ticket. Sneak!" She pull out two sai knives, gripping them between her fingers.

"Don't use your Semblance," Qrow whispered hurriedly. The woman, Senka it would seem, cocked her head to the side. Winter noticed floppy, tan dog ears, partially hidden in her hair.

"Something about your Semblance? Oh, please do use it!" Senka insisted with a smile. The ears atop her head pricked up. "What are you hiding?" Winter narrowed her eyes. Qrow didn't want her to use her Semblance. Why?

The answer hit her almost immediately. Her glyphs. The Schnee family symbol. Her Semblance was so obviously that of a Schnee - it included her family symbol, and given the hereditary nature of Schnee Semblances, most people knew what her Semblance would mean. If they found out who she was, they could use that information against her father, or perhaps General Ironwood, or perhaps the Faunus would just rally to kill a Schnee. Whichever, letting Senka see her Semblance would do nothing helpful.

Winter responded by separating the dagger from her sabre, holding it in her left hand and the sabre in her right. She could hear the metallic sound of Qrow drawing his own weapon out. Senka dashed forward, spinning and slashing at Winter, who brought her sabre up to block the attack. She stabbed her dagger forward, aiming for Senka's stomach, only to impale air. Senka now stood five feet away from Winter, twirling her sai knives and smiling. Qrow ran past Winter, jumping up at the last second to bring his sword down on Senka. The woman slid right under Qrow's arm, narrowly dodging his swing, and running one of her sai along Qrow's side. Senka straightened herself up just as Winter collided with her, pushing her sabre against Senka's knives, and overpowering her enough to throw the Faunus over the railing. Qrow looked back, an annoyed expression on his face. He hadn't been hurt by the slash to his side, though the ripped fabric of his shirt made it obviously that the move had made its mark. Had his Aura been too low, the hit could have been fatal.

The sound of the others below were getting louder as they scrambled for their weapons and ran for the stairs that led up to the bridge. Qrow tugged on Winter's sleeve.

"Time for us to go, Ice Queen," he said urgently. Winter nodded and sprinted for the window. She stepped onto the railing, reaching up for the sill, when a dark blur slammed into her side and sent her sprawling back onto the bridge. Winter climbed to her feet, glaring at a smiling Senka.

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere," she said. Her smile was sickly sweet, but there was an edge to her tone. Senka flicked her sai blades upwards, and the middle points split into multiple sections, forming bladed whips that hung from the weapon's handle. She inched forward as White Fang grunts pounded up the stairs to the bridge. Winter felt Qrow's back hit her own as he backed into her. The Faunus must have surrounded them.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" A figure moved through the surrounding Faunus to stand just behind Senka. It was the female lieutenant. "Spies, no doubt?" Winter pressed her lips together.

"Nah, we were just attending the meeting! Great ideas you got going on, by the way," Qrow commented. The lieutenant's lips curled into a rueful smile.

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it. If only you were a Faunus." She clapped her hands together. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to stay and chat for awhile?"

"Sorry. We're awfully busy," Qrow replied. "We might be free next -," Qrow counted his fingers, "- Tuesday?"

"Senka." Not skipping a beat, Senka cracked her chain whips forward, giving Winter barely enough time to register the move and block the attack with her sabre. Senka shot forward again, relentless in her attack. Her arms were a flurry of motion, and Winter's heart raced as she was forced again and again to block the whips from hitting her. The bridge was barely four feet across, making it that much harder to fight. Winter felt confined, having to fight in such close quarters.

Qrow was fighting off a group of grunts just behind Winter, grunting as he pushed them back and fired a couple rounds into the crowd. Though Senka seemed to be the best out of all the gathered members, perhaps a specially trained operative of some sort, the White Fang members greatly outnumbered the two Hunters. Winter thrust her dagger forward, just nicking Senka's shoulder, before kicking the Faunus woman in the gut. Senka's breath came out in a whoosh of air as she fell backwards. She looked up, a furious expression on her face, before her outline turned dark and fuzzy, and she vanished. Winter brought both of her weapons up glancing all around her, while trying to keep an eye on the grunts, who seemed to be waiting for Senka to make a move.

Something touched the small of her back, and Winter froze. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder to see the tip of a sai pointed at her. Senka smiled, and Qrow straightened up when he felt the other sai pointed at his back. He didn't lower his sword though, and Winter could tell by the tense muscles in his jaw that his temper was beginning to get the better of him.

"Are you Hunters? If you are, I expected better," Senka quipped. Winter sucked in a quick breath and spun around, bringing her sabre down on Senka's sai. Senka's eyes widened as the sabre clashed with the sai in her hand. The hand holding the second sai loosened slightly, and Qrow took the opportunity to dart away, sweeping his sword in an arch through the air to keep the White Fang grunts at bay. Senka gritted her teeth, turning her masked face towards Winter, who managed to smile in return.

"You haven't even seen half of what I can do!" Winter hissed through gritted teeth, and jabbed her dagger at Senka. Senka jumped away, trying to regain her form, as Winter barraged the woman, alternating between sabre and dagger. Senka barely managed to keep up, holding her sai in front of her to stop the attack. She hissed at Winter before disappearing again. Winter paused, her gaze wandering over the room. A small swoosh sound echoed above her, and Winter looked up to see Senka falling from the ceiling, weapons braced and ready to impale Winter.

"Idiot!" Senka yelled with uncontrolled glee. Winter took a step back, sucked in a deep breath, and swung her sabre in a downwards arch at Senka. A flash of light and smoke filled the room for a brief second, and a soft, crackling sound filled the air. The cool smoke began to dissipate, and when it cleared, Winter was standing adjacent to a half frozen Senka. The Faunus woman's entire lower half was encased in ice, and most of her upper torso was frozen as well. The only part that was totally free of ice was her head. Senka shrieked, twisting her head back and forth to no avail. She was stuck.

Some of the White Fang grunts stopped, gaping at the frozen Senka and Winter, the triumphant winner. The White Fang lieutenant sucked in a breath, though her expression was still covered by her mask.

"You!" she growled at Winter, pulling out twin pistols from her belt.

"Qrow, time to go!" Winter shouted, sending a path of jagged ice toward the lieutenant, effectively blocking off the path. Winter turned to find Qrow, who was firing round after round at the Faunus. He caught her eye and backed up to where she was, though he kept firing off rounds.

"Go where, Ice Queen?" he yelled above the noise.

"Jump!" Winter cried as she leapt over the bridge's railing. Her hair flew around her face for a brief moment as she fell to the floor, rolling to a crouch when she hit the concrete. She winced, curling her fingers. No matter how much a person practiced, falling from a height onto rock-hard surfaces hurt.

Qrow fell a second later, landing right behind her, and they sprinted for the back door they had seen earlier. The lieutenant was yelling orders, and the grunts and outraged cries of the White Fang were echoing around the room. Dust rounds flew around them, and Winter was thankful her Aura still felt decently strong and intact. She spotted the door before Qrow did, but skidded to a stop when she saw what was guarding the door. Qrow slammed into her, startled by her sudden stop. The quiet, male White Fang lieutenant was standing directly in front of their way out, three White Fang members on each side of him, all with their guns cocked and aimed. Winter immediately aimed her own weapon, internally debating ideas on getting out the door. _I could use Ice Dust … but that could freeze over the door and block our exit. I could charge them, but there's seven of them and they each have a weapon aimed at Qrow and I._

"Surrender and come quietly," a female voice hissed from behind them. The other lieutenant. Winter set her mouth in a grim line. Qrow's expression was a mixture of anger and disgust. "Shoot them, please, but don't kill. We want them for interrogation." Winter was already going through the 'what-to-do-when-captured' plans in her head, bracing herself for what could be possible torture at the hands of the White Fang. She aimed her dagger behind her, and her sabre at the lieutenant guarding the door, ready to attack.

Just as Winter readied to attack, Qrow insync and ready as well, the ground began to shake beneath them. Winter's whole body shook, and she stabbed her sabre into the ground so she wouldn't fall over. Qrow had done the same, one hand on his sword, the other on Winter's back as the shaking continued. White Fang members cried out, and people began falling to the ground. The wind outside began to howl and Winter couldn't help but wonder where, after the dead calm night just earlier that evening, had this strange storm come from?

The wind grew louder and louder, sounding like the never-ending screech of a Nevermore. Without warning, every window in the building shattered, spraying glass all around them. The wind got louder, and Winter's hair whipped around her as the broken windows allowed the wind to scour the building. A window almost directly above Qrow and Winter shattered, sending glass shards around them in a beautiful and deadly rainfall. A few seconds later, a single bolt of lightning flashed through the window and to the ground, just inches away from Winter. There was a flash of light and the sudden smell of something burnt, and then a dark shape rose from the floor in front of Winter. It was a young woman, with olive-toned skin and wavy, short, black hair. She wore a black, sleeveless turtleneck and maroon pants, with black, heeled boots. She looked like she had just come from a classy party, not fallen from a stormy sky. She turned her head towards Winter ever so slightly, just barely catching her eye. The woman's eyes were grayish blue. Winter's eyes widened, her mouth forming an O.

It was the woman they'd been searching for.

The Maiden.

 **XXX**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! The plot is finally moving, and I'm happy at how far it's come. Thank you all for the amazing, kind reviews! They keep me motivated to write the next chapter! Thank you to any new readers/followers, and a big thanks to those of you who have been reading this from the very first chapter!**

 **As many of you are probably aware, we are reaching the point in the year where school, colleges/universities, and some jobs start back up again. Summer is almost over so I will have a bit more limited free time. As usual, I will always do my best to write more and continue this fic. If there's a slight delay, or extra sporadic schedule for the next month, just know I'm readjusting after months of a long and nice break. I appreciate your understanding when it comes to my schedule. :)**

 **There's not too much else to say, so this will be a fairly short author's note.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**New chapter! After years of waiting ;) Here it is! (As usual, I do not own RWBY)**

 **XXX**

The Maiden caught Winter's gaze for a moment, grey-blue eyes meeting darker blue ones. She broke the gaze a second later, turning back to the White Fang lieutenant with an ice cold glare. She thrust her hand out, and the pieces of broken earth around her feet floated up, suddenly becoming encased in ice, and shot towards the White Fang members. They shouted and screeched, throwing their hands up to attempt to block the ice that was pelting them. The Maiden swung around to face the other lieutenant and crew of Faunus opposite Qrow, holding both of her hands out. She pushed at the air in front of her, and a wall of wind enveloped the remaining Faunus. As the Maiden swirled her hand in a circular motion, the wind began to do the same, in perfect sync with her motions. A tornado of wind, broken glass, and ice swirled around the White Fang, and the Maiden's cold and ruthless expression showed no mercy. Just as one of the Faunus began to shriek, the tornado stopped, shards of ice and glass falling like rain around them.

The Maiden held out a hand, a swirling ball of flame sitting neatly in her palm, before blasting the wall in front of her with fire. When the stream of flame coming from her hand faded to wisps of smoke, a giant opening in the wall showed the pier and part of the night sky. The edges of the wall had scorch marks on them, and dark ash had drifted onto the floor. The Maiden straightened up with a slightly smug smile. She held her hands at her side, palms raised up, as if she was still prepared to fight off any attackers with her powers. She caught the gaze of Winter and Qrow.

"Move!" she snapped, her voice low and fluid. "Run!" Qrow was the first to snap out of it, making a run for the opening. Winter shook her head, sprinting after him. The White Fang began to stir, as if realizing that the newcomer was here to ensure the two Hunters escaped. A few Faunus leapt forward, brandishing their guns and blades. Winter halted, whipping out her sabre, but the Maiden jumped into her path, smashing a foot into the ground and sending the ground beneath her rolling, knocking the Faunus off of their feet.

"When I said run, I meant it!" she snapped at Winter, turning to her with an expression of mixed anger and annoyance. Winter frowned, her lip curling into a grimace, but she did as she was told and followed after Qrow, fleeing the building. She heard the shouts of the Faunus behind her, quickly turning into wails of surprise and pain, and she wondered what the Maiden had done. Qrow was ahead of her, glancing back now and then to make sure she was still following. Winter glanced behind her. The Maiden had just exited the building, speeding towards the two on nothing but air. She was hovering just above the ground that it really couldn't be called flying, and yet it was. The Maiden was flying towards them, and it was such an odd and unnatural sight that Winter gasped softly.

"Schnee!" Winter turned back to meet the gaze of Qrow, who had slowed down and was glancing between her and the Maiden with narrowed eyes. "We need to keep going until we hit the city limits. Then we can head back to the hotel."

"I think perhaps we should talk." Winter turned around to see the Maiden standing behind her - feet firmly planted on the ground, Winter noted.

"Yeah," Qrow agreed. "We have a lot of things we need to discuss."

"Is your hotel safe enough? I have a place -,"

"We need to get you someplace safe. We're Hunters." At this the Maiden's eyes widened, but rather than look relieved, she appeared angry.

"Hunters? You're Hunters? What the hell were you doing?"

"What?" Winter demanded.

"I thought you were people in serious trouble," the Maiden snapped. "I thought you were innocent civilians in the wrong place, at the wrong time. But you were Hunters? On some kind of mission?!" The Maiden threw her hands up in the air. "Geez, I try to keep doing my job when this kingdom is at its worst, and now I've got to take care of the people who should be able to help themselves."

"We didn't need your help!" Winter retorted, before taking a steadying breath. "Besides, we were looking for you." The Maiden paused, staring at them warily. She took a step back, looking them over.

"Why? Who are you?"

"My name is Qrow. I'm a part of the Brotherhood, and I work at Signal Academy in Vale," Qrow introduced.

"I'm Winter." Short, and hardly as much of an introduction as Qrow's, but Winter didn't know what would happen if she revealed she was from Atlas, and part of the military's Specialist Unit no less. The Maiden looked them up and down, before gazing at Qrow.

"How do I know you're Brotherhood?" she asked in a suspicious tone. Qrow rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically before rolling up his sleeve and turning his arm over. A black insignia was branded into his upper arm, a strange symbol with a circle covered in whorls and other smaller symbols of a flame, snowflake, leaf, and lightning bolt. Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"If that isn't enough, you should know Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood were very prominent members of the Brotherhood," Qrow added. "And I met the Fall Maiden. Amber. Codename Autumn. I saved her from a situation not too long ago …" His voice trailed off, and he glanced at the ground, quickly covering his sleeve up. Winter figured the incident with Amber hit him harder than he let on. It was, technically, what led to her death. Either way, whether Qrow had been there or not, Amber would be dead. The Maiden in front of them was still looking them over dubiously.

"I believe you," she said slowly. "But we still have a lot we need to talk about. I'm Sable Liadan by the way. Though I'm sure you already knew that." She glanced around, as if someone could be listening to their conversation. "Your hotel room … should be an efficient place to meet." Even that didn't sound convincing. Winter couldn't help but notice the Maiden seemed to have her reservations. Winter sheathed her sabre, meeting Sable's cold gaze with a curious one of her own. Qrow glanced back and forth between the two, frowning.

"We should get going," he said impatiently. Sable's eyes flashed to him, and she smiled with an expression that said she would hurt him if needed.

"Lead the way," Sable said.

 **XXX**

When they reached the hotel room, Qrow pulled out three chairs the lobby had provided. Sable positioned hers close to the window, sitting in it primly. Her shoulders remained tense, and she never took her eyes off Qrow or Winter. Winter sank down onto her own chair while Qrow slouched down onto his.

"So," he drawled, "you wanted to talk more?" Sable's eyes narrowed, her mouth set in an angry frown.

"Yes," she said coolly. "You said you'd been looking for me. Why?"

"Because we may need your help," Winter explained hurriedly, adding, "and we came to protect you."

"I don't need protection. I protect others. It's in my job description."

"There could be someone out there who would target you," Qrow said slowly. "Over a month ago -," Sable laughed bitterly, throwing her head back.

"I think everyone knows what happened a month ago," she said.

"There is more to the story," Winter insisted, but Sable held up a hand.

"I know. You're an idiot if you think I don't." She turned her angry gaze to Qrow. "You of all people should know that I know. You apparently saved Amber before." Something about her tone made Winter pause. The anger and the bitterness directed towards them…

"About Amber…," Qrow began.

"I know," Sable replied, a flash of sadness flickering in her eyes. For a moment, the tired, dark circles under her eyes seemed more prominent, and the furrowed brows and narrowed eyes turned into a more sorrowful expression.

"You do?" Winter asked, only half-surprised.

"Of course. I'm not stupid, and news travels fast. The Brotherhood keeps the Maidens up to date on needed information," Sable explained. "And … I knew. I could feel something was wrong. Twice. But the last time, around a month ago … I knew something had happened to Amber. At this point, I'm sure the Fall powers have been transferred to another." Her eyes flickered back to Qrow, looking for a confirmation. Qrow nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground. Sable frowned and sighed. "I've heard bits and pieces of the night she was attacked, and though I knew they kept Amber in Vale, presumably close to Beacon and Ozpin, I was not given the information as to where." Her voice still held a twinge of anger.

"That is part of the reason we're here," Winter said. "It's about the new Fall Maiden."

"Haven't met her."

"Trust me, you don't want to," Qrow said in a low tone. "Amber was specifically attacked _because_ she was a Maiden. The people who orchestrated the attack on Vale were behind Amber's death, and now the new Maiden is our top enemy. We think each of the Maidens is a target. With the enemy in control of the Maidens, they'd be significantly stronger than they already are. They're already working with the White Fang, and they have no problem using the Grimm to their advantage."

"And with the CCT still being worked on, and the tension in the kingdoms, they could seize control easily," Winter added. Sable eyed the two.

"You know what their plan is? Whoever they are?"

"We have a decent enough idea," Qrow said with a shrug. Sable's eyes flashed to him.

"Maybe it's not enough. Aside from deciding to protect me, what do you want me to do? As a Maiden, it's my job to help people who need it."

"Remnant needs you! You would be helping everyone!" Winter said, a little indignant.  
"If you don't win this, or something goes wrong, or my powers end up in the hands of some crazy psychopath, no one will be helped! If I helped you, I'd be dedicating myself to a cause that would prevent me from helping individuals who need it. And there's a strong possibility someone will kill me."

"Well, trust me on this," Qrow said gruffly. "You keep doing whatever the hell you do, you might be killed anyways. Or worse. Amber-," At the mention of the Fall Maiden's name, Sable shot out of her chair, eyes blazing. She jabbed a finger at Qrow.

"You should have saved her, you idiot!" she snarled. "Because of you, Amber is dead!" Qrow narrowed his eyes, leaning forward in his chair. Winter's hand went instinctively went to her weapon, her eyes glancing back and forth from Qrow to Sable. Surprisingly, Qrow didn't say anything right away. He just stared at Sable before sighing.

"I tried to save her," he said, sounding rather downcast. "I tried to get to her as quickly as possible. When I finally found her, these three people were holding her down, and using something to suck her power out of her. I severed whatever it was they were using, but Amber was left in a coma and half of her power was gone. The woman who did … I couldn't see her face, but she attacked Beacon because Amber was there, to get the other half of her power. I tried to save her, and I'm always going to regret that I was too late. But I'm going to be straight with you. I don't think those people would have stopped. Killing Amber was their goal." He hesitated, then reached for the flask in his pocket, quickly taking a swig before returning it to its original place. Sable was still on her feet, her expression no less angry.

"If they're so strong, what exactly do you plan to do to stop them?" Sable breathed. Her hands clenched into fists before slowly uncurling. Winter turned her own gaze to look at Qrow, questioning him silently. What did they plan to do? Find the Maidens, yes, but then what? Fight? Who would they be fighting?

"We need to find the other Maidens," Qrow insisted, leaning forward.

"Then what? Use us?"

"We need you to _help_ us."

" _Do what_?!" Sable's voice began to raise again, and for the briefest of moments, wisps of pale blue light flickered around her eyes.

"If you're expecting one simple goal, I don't have a clear cut answer for you," Qrow replied coolly. "We have a long road ahead of us." Sable crossed her arms, waving a hand impatiently. "There's … people, our allies, working in Mistral. They're going to Haven to look for the people who orchestrated the attack on Vale."

"And you expect us to do what?" Sable drawled.

"If we can, take out as many "weapons" our enemy has as possible. Unfortunately, that won't be easy. Our options are limited to finding a way to completely destroy Grimm, specifically the dragon that's frozen atop Beacon tower, or taking down the White Fang."

"You want to either get rid of the creatures that Hunters have been fighting for centuries, or take down a corrupt terrorist organization?" Sable shook her head. "You're crazy. Or an idiot. Or both."

"You think the White Fang is unstoppable?" Winter asked. "Even if we found a way to cut off their access to Atlas technology, that could prove to be a substantial advantage."

"I find that people who truly believe in what they are fighting for are difficult to beat, let alone permanently stomp out."

"The White Fang isn't a peace group. Their methods are brutal and wrong," Winter said, trying to keep an even tone.

"It doesn't matter," Sable said, her tone softening. "That's the thing about "the bad guys". A lot of the time, they think they're doing the right thing. People will fight to the death if they believe it's for a good cause. That's why the White Fang is dangerous. Well, that's one of the reasons. They've got more than a few tricks up their sleeves." She snapped her ice cold gaze to Winter. "Do not underestimate them." For a second, Winter wondered if Sable knew who she was. That maybe this Maiden knew she was a Schnee. Was it really so hard to guess?

"It's worth a shot. If we can find the other Maidens, maybe we have a chance," Winter said. "Do you know where the others are?" Sable straightened up a bit, her shoulders tensing. She glanced at Qrow with narrowed eyes.

"You already know I'm Brotherhood," he said with a roll of his eyes. "If we were your enemies, you'd already be dead." Sable grimaced, but his words seemed to do the trick.

"Obviously, I don't know their exact locations at every moment of every day." She crossed her arms. "I'm not their stalker, and I'm not their babysitter. My friend Beth, the Spring Maiden, was actually on her way to Mistral from Vacuo, last I checked. I might be able to get in contact with her and persuade her to come her. As for the Summer Maiden, I think she left for Vale. She was here just a few weeks ago, but you missed her."

"The Spring Maiden," Winter began, "do you think we can find her?" Sable eyed Winter for a moment.

"Probably."

"We find her," Qrow said, "and then we can attack the White Fang."

"You'll have to find the White Fang again. They've probably upped security, maybe even moved away to another city, especially if they were sure you were Hunters," Sable reminded them.

"We find the Maiden first, then we worry about the White Fang," Winter said with a wave of her hand, eyes sparkling. The White Fang might have gone underground even further, but Winter was certain she could find them. If no recon missions or stealth techniques worked, they had something the White Fang might want.

Qrow's gaze flickered to Winter for a brief moment, before darting back to the Maiden. "You're in, then?" Sable raised an eyebrow, the slightest curve of a smile playing at her lips. She walked to the door, pulling it open.

"I'll get in contact with Beth," she said, already turned away. "I trust we'll be meeting soon. By the way, your Scrolls should work within the city limits. Some crews have been trying to make the CCT operational again, but the best they've been able to do is make local communication work, albeit a bit buggy at best." She gave a casual wave of her hand, before closing the door behind her. "Later!" The door shut, and Qrow and Winter were left in the silence of their hotel room. Qrow stretched his arms high above his head, cracking his neck loudly. Winter primly smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes.

"That went well," Qrow said sarcastically.

"Perhaps you should have been less forward," Winter said frostily. Qrow raised an eyebrow, giving her a shrug.

"What's wrong, Ice Queen?" Qrow teased.

"Your conduct was hardly the most polite or appropriate."

"We don't have the luxury of time to trip over words, or sugarcoat the truth," Qrow said, his tone hardening. "We're in the middle of a war, and our enemies have the upper hand." He scoffed. "We'll be lucky if we even get two of the Maidens to help us."

"Do you think we will?" Winter asked in a low tone. Qrow shrugged.

"Maybe. Even if we do, there's no guarantee they will help us. I can hardly make them after what happened with Amber." His thumb rolled against something round and silver at his side. At first, Winter mistook it for his flask, but quickly realized it was the handle of Ozpin's cane. She had forgotten he'd been carrying it, and she'd even forgotten Qrow's frustration that Ozpin was still missing.

"You're still looking for Ozpin, then," Winter said.

"I never stopped looking." Another half-hearted scoff. "Put it on pause for _this_ little adventure." Winter frowned and brushed a hand through her bangs.

"We will find Ozpin, Qrow."

"If old Oz is even alive." It was one of the first times Qrow had ever sounded pessimistic about the possibility of Ozpin's death. Before it had always been "ol' Oz is kicking" and other reassurances. Qrow looked up from the cane, pale, red, tired eyes meeting solemn blue ones. The circles under his eyes seemed darker than before.

"If we don't find Oz though," he said glumly, "I don't know if we can win this. No matter what we do, it might not make a difference, Schnee."

 **XXX**

 **Well, it's been awhile! Life has been quite busy, and to be honest, this chapter was very difficult to write. I'm becoming a bit hesitant with the story, especially given that Volume 4 will be premiering in just a few weeks. I'm trying to plan this so that maybe I can end somewhere and still have it make sense with canon. If not, this may become an AU.**

 **I understand that sometimes there's a month between chapters, and it can be long, but that's just the way it is. Sometimes I'll update sooner. Sometimes it will be later. Thank you very much for your understanding.**

 **Thanks again for everyone reviewing and following this story! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far!**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter! Author note at the bottom.**

 **This story is strictly for entertainment; I do not own RWBY.**

 **XXX**

 _He was somewhere dark, with grey mist swirling around him. The only light he had came from the shattered moon above, casting a dim, silver light that just barely made his surroundings visible. He pushed through the fog, his frustration growing. Something screeched nearby, a bone-chilling noise that made him pause. Another screech filled the air, and his stomach dropped. It wasn't a something, but a someone. He began running toward the noise, sprinting as fast as he could, but he couldn't tell if he was moving. The mist around him was too dark to see anything._

 _The sound of metal clashing in front of him made him stop again, and this time, the mist began to clear. About fifty feet away, barely visible in the dark, were 3 dark figures surrounding a smaller, much paler figure. The dark figures were jumping around her, swinging and stabbing at the smaller figure. The smaller figure moved forward, dodging the moves, and he caught a flash of white and a pale hand reaching toward him. He darted forward, his own hand stretched out, the other hand on his weapon. But running did nothing. He wasn't moving any closer to the small figure. The dark figures lunged in unison, and a final, piercing scream rang in his ears._

"Morning!" Qrow started, swinging his head up from the table he'd been sleeping on. Winter had strolled into the room, a bag in one hand, a notebook in the other. Qrow rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock near him. It was already early afternoon. He hadn't had the best night's sleep, but when he woke up for the third time at 8:00 in the morning, he told himself he would put the early morning hours to good use. He stared at the notebook in front of him blearily, scribbles outlining the margin. He'd done nothing productive. Again. Sighing, he pulled his flask out and took in a long gulp. Already, it had been a long day.

"Do you ever run out of that?" Winter asked with a scowl. The two got along better than usual, but Qrow still wasn't quite sure the term "friends" would apply. They still got on each other's nerves, and if there was one thing Winter disliked about him, it was his drinking. The number of times she'd launched into a speech about "noble Hunters" and "being on the job" was too many to count.

"Breakfast of kings," Qrow drawled, taking another gulp while he stared directly into Winter's eyes, before holding out the flask. "Want a sip?" Her scowl deepened, and she turned her back to him.

"Drunken ass." Qrow's mouth lifted in the tiniest of smiles.

"Find anything?"

"Just a few old flyers, asking for Faunus to join the ranks of the White Fang." Winter waved a few pieces of paper at him. "I doubt it will help." She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. "What about you?" Her tone was cautious, careful. Like she was tiptoeing around him. Qrow clenched his jaw.

"I haven't found anything useful." Qrow stared at the notebook. He had dedicated pages to each of his goals. Find Ozpin. Bring all the Maidens together, and protect them. Find the people who had started the attack on Vale. Find out what the White Fang was up to. And the very last page held a message that he had only shared with a few people, the first of those people being Ozpin.

Queen has pawns.

A reminder that this was bigger than anything they had ever dealt with. That the White Fang, and Torchwick's Dust robberies, and the attack on Vale, were just a tiny puzzle piece in the grand scheme.

Winter furrowed her brow, but didn't comment on the worn and scribbled pages. Qrow glanced at her as she pulled out her Scroll, frowning.

"Heard from Sable?" Winter looked up for a moment, then returned her gaze to the Scroll.

"No. Very little, and nothing on the other Maiden." She shoved the Scroll back into her pocket. "She hasn't been able to get in contact with her yet." Qrow ran a hand through his hair. Nothing again. It had been days, over a week probably. He hadn't kept track of the days, and sometimes he wasn't sure he cared. Sable had kept her distance, and he was sure pretty sure she still didn't completely trust them. If she'd been anyone but a Maiden, and a key part in their world's survival, he probably wouldn't trust her either.

That's when an idea hit him. That's what had felt slightly familiar about Sable; a person he could probably trust, but also, maybe not. He knew someone quite similar, personality wise. Albeit Sable was definitely much more trustworthy. That almost made him smile. A stranger was more trustworthy than his own sister.

Raven. She might have information. He despised meeting with her though. She had abandoned Taiyang, her own daughter, and fled back to the tribe of killers that had raised them both. Qrow had left as soon as possible, desperate to break ties. Raven, though, had always felt something pulling her back. Now she helped lead the tribe, and the few times she had made contact with Qrow, she had never brought up Yang herself. Qrow pushed her about it sometimes, but she would only ever look disgusted. After Raven had saved Yang on the train, she had told Qrow coolly that there would be no next time. That was it. And each time they met, Raven only ever made him angrier, with her grudge of him leaving. Needless to say, there wasn't much peace and love between them.

Qrow grabbed his journal and shoved it in a pocket, picking up his scythe as he headed for the door. Winter looked up, eyebrows furrowed.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Out," Qrow said shortly. "I might be awhile. Gonna see if I can find some answers."

"Okay," Winter said warily. Qrow slammed the door behind him, not even looking back. A half hour later, he was sitting at a lonely table in the corner of a bar, casually drinking what was probably his third drink. Aside from a single hostess and the bartender, there was only two other people in the entire bar.

"What a place you've chosen. I've almost forgotten the kind of dumps you prefer to brood in." Qrow narrowed his eyes.

"Raven."

"Brother," she said sweetly, sitting down in front of him. She had her Grimm mask tucked under her arm, and her weapon at her side. She looked much the same as ever, except there were slight wrinkles around her eyes, and some grey hairs streaked through her bangs. And her eyes, a darker red than his own, held a much more cynical and dark look to them. She glanced him over, an amused smile on her face. "You don't look so good. But I know whatever is going on, it must be important, if you were willing to talk with me."

"I need your help with a few things," Qrow said coolly. "I'm sure you've heard about the things that have happened in the past month." Raven rolled her eyes.

"Of course I've heard. I'd expected as much from the Vale council and Ironwood. Even Ozpin. The man acts invincible, but he's just man." Raven leaned forward and grabbed Qrow's drink, taking a long sip before setting it back down with the same, amused smile.

"Ozpin's missing," Qrow said.

"I figured as much. The Maidens are out there, Beacon is gone, Vale is in ruins. What I'm still unsure of is why you need me?"

"I need to find the remaining Maidens. We've found the Winter Maiden, and she's trying to find Spring for us. We need to get Spring and Summer here. And make sure that Fall doesn't wake up anytime soon." Raven's eyes narrowed at the mention of "Fall", and she leaned back in her chair.

"I heard a rumor … that the newest Fall Maiden is an associate of _hers_. That she was the one who orchestrated the fall of Vale, and is now, for some curious reason, frozen on top of Beacon tower, along with the Grimm she summoned," Raven said.

"You heard correctly," Qrow said stiffly. Raven leaned forward again, eyes darting around, as if someone in the near empty bar was actually listening to them.

"What do you know of her next move?" Raven hissed, her voice taking a sharp edge. "What is Salem doing?"

"If you expect me to know all of her plans, you're dumber than I thought," Qrow grumbled, gulping down another swig of his drink. Raven held her gaze, red eyes boring into his own. He sighed. "I have reason to believe she's looking for the other Maidens specifically, maybe to try and replace them with her own goons like she did with Fall. Last I checked, the new Fall Maiden, Cinder, was still frozen on top of Beacon tower, so I'd imagine she'll try to free her somehow."

"But what's the witch's next big move?" Raven persisted. Qrow crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing.

"I'm working on figuring it out. Everything's a different piece of the puzzle. Roman Torchwick and the White Fang are just pawns, but well-used pawns. With no Dust being traded overseas, there's a shortage on Dust. The fall of Vale attracted a number of high leveled Grimm, and with the tension across continents, the number of Grimm just keep increasing. Everything that's happened has happened for one specific reason. To leave the people of Remnant weak."

"For an even bigger attack," Raven mused.

"When she's finished with whatever the hell she's working on, I don't think she'll need to attack." Raven's eyes narrowed, and she abruptly stood up.

"I need to be leaving," she said stiffly. Qrow reached over the table and grabbed her wrist.

"The reason I asked you here is because I needed some information, not to catch you up on the sorry state of the world," he said coldly. "What information do you have for me?" Raven jerked her arm out of his grasp, hissing in annoyance.

"I might be more willing to help you if you would actually help me." Her gaze brightened. "Or returned home. With me."

"That's not going to happen. And that place, the tribe … it's not my home."

"It used to be. It's where you and I grew up. We'd be nothing without them! Before this is over, you might need them again!"

"If you want to talk about family and homes, maybe we should talk about the one you ditched so you could go back and slum it up with those bandits you call "family", Qrow growled, his hands curling into fists on the table. Raven now looked furious and she took a step away from the table.

"We're done here," she said, turning away.

"I. Need. Information," Qrow said through clenched teeth. Raven groaned in frustration, barely turning her head.

"Salem is sending someone to free the Fall Maiden. And she has other associates she's sending around to do her dirty work, like find the Maidens and rally the White Fang. And perhaps speak to some of the more … _official_ citizens of Remnant." Qrow's eyes narrowed. Raven turned, looking him over once more. "Your "niece", that little girl … Summer's child." She drew out "Summer", like it left a horrible taste in her mouth. "I'd keep an eye on her. And maybe prepare her a bit for what's coming. She'll be in the middle of it. Whether she knows it or not." Raven slid her mask back on and unsheathed her masamune sword, slashing it through the air. A massive, pulsating, red portal opened in front of her, and she walked through without even looking back at Qrow. She disappeared inside, and a few moments later, the portal vanished. Qrow grimaced, and immediately reached for his glass, pausing, then thinking better of it. He stood up, left some Lien on the table, and skulked out of the bar. His meeting with Raven had left him in no better mood than before, and what little he had learned only complicated things further.

Cinder. The fire-loving bitch. If Salem found a way to free her, she would have the Fall Maiden back on her side. Given that Cinder had orchestrated the downfall of Beacon without yet having the full powers of the Fall Maiden, freeing her now, as the new Fall Maiden, was nothing short of distressing. And Ruby …

Qrow shook his head. No, he couldn't think of Ruby right now. He'd find her soon, and help her. But not yet.

XXX

Qrow trudged up the stairs to the hotel room he and Winter were still staying in. He fumbled for a key in his pocket, his thoughts briefly switching from Raven's parting words to their room. They'd been here for awhile now. They probably needed to leave before any of the workers got too suspicious about the strangers who'd been in the same room for over a week. It didn't help that with trade closed between kingdoms, and travel limited, most of the city hotels were near empty. He slid the key into the slot, grumbling, and swung open the door.

Winter had her coat thrown on, and was sitting in one of the chairs, legs crossed and an expectant look on her face. She raised an eyebrow at Qrow as he walked in. He glanced at her, looking her up and down. "What's up with you?"

"I've been waiting for you. Sable contacted the Spring Maiden. We can go meet her at Sable's place." Winter stood up swiftly. "Are you ready?"

"...Yeah, sure." Qrow ran a hand through his hair. "I was thinking we should duck out of here anyways. It's been a week, and though I don't think the people working here are the brightest, it'd be safest to leave before people get suspicious." Winter frowned, thinking for a moment, before slowly nodding.

"It's a good idea. Let me just pack up our- well, what little we have." She began throwing the flyers she had collected in her bag. Qrow followed suit and grabbed Ozpin's cane, clipping it onto his back alongside his own weapon. He hurried over to Winter's side and began throwing what little things they had left in her pack.

"No time to waste. Let's get out of here," he said gruffly. Winter narrowed her eyes, but nodded in agreement. They left the room, Qrow slamming the door behind them, and hurried down to the lobby. Winter pulled out some Lien and the hotel room key from her backpack.

"Wait here, I'm just going to check out for us," she said. Qrow shoved his hands in his pocket and fiddled with his rings while Winter checked out at the front desk. Something shoved into him hard, pushing him forward. He let out an _oof_ and spun around.

"Listen, pal-," he began in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" A thin, petite face stared up at him, with wide brown eyes, partially covered by shaggy, pale blonde hair. The figure appeared to be a young boy, probably somewhere around Ruby or Yang's age, and was so skinny his shoulder blades jutted out like the branches of a tree. "Please forgive me, I was just trying to get by to the elevator!" Qrow grumbled something under his breath, then sighed.

"Just watch where you're going, kid," he muttered. The boy smiled, the thin contours of his face giving him a ghoulish look.

"I will. And you watch where, you're going sir," the boy said, still smiling. "Not a great for people to be traveling. It's a dangerous time for people like you." Qrow froze.

"People like me?" he said slowly.

"Well, people from other kingdoms. But more importantly, Hunters."

"How do you know I'm a Hunter?"

"You haven't been hiding your tracks very well. From the sounds of it, you've already upset a number of people…" The boy's face was now perfectly calm, a strange, almost secretive look in his eyes. Qrow turned to face the boy face-on, his hands forming fists.

"Who sent you?" Qrow growled.

"You can probably guess who," the boy sneered. He paused for a moment, as if something had occurred to him. His gaze traveled to the left, and Qrow followed his line of sight; Winter stood by the front desk, looking almost ready to leave, thanking whatever worker was at the desk. Qrow grabbed the boy by his shirt front, leaning in close.

"Who the hell sent you? Tell me what you're doing here, or I swear I'll-," Qrow growled.

"Sir, let go of that boy!" A concierge nearby had stopped to gape at the scene before him. Qrow scoffed, ready to fire back a retort.

"Qrow!" Winter was steadily walking over, her face stone-cold, a hand on the hilt of her sword. "Let him go."

"Listen, Sch- ...Ice Queen, this is-," Qrow began.

"I don't care, Qrow. Let him go," she said, lowering her voice. "We didn't want to cause a scene, remember? We need to leave now." Qrow looked up. The concierge was still staring, and a few more hotel workers had stopped to stare. A security guard by the elevator had pushed off the wall, slowly walking their way. Qrow loosened his grip and pushed the boy away. Winter put a hand on his shoulder, steering him towards the door. Qrow looked back as they exited the building; the boy was nowhere in sight.

"You want to tell me what that was about?" Winter asked, leaning closer to Qrow and looping an arm through his.

"That boy knew what we've been up to. He's a White Fang member, or an associate of Cinder Fall's, or-" _Or one of Salem's minions._

"The boy?" Winter blinked, her eyes widening. "But he was just a kid!" Qrow laughed bitterly. Images flashed in his mind; Yang staring into oblivion, her arm missing. Ruby lying in the rubble of Beacon tower.

"Age doesn't matter," he said, scowling. "Let's get out of here, and warn Sable."

"If someone's following us or watching us, what do we do? If they know our plan, or find out where the Maidens are, then we'd have done this all for nothing. We need to figure out a way to meet with the Maidens in secret, or perhaps if we attack the White Fang…," Winter's eyes became a little unfocused, her mind clearly working to try and find a strategical way to fix their newfound problem.

"I doubt there's much we can do, Schnee," Qrow sighed.

"We promised we would protect them," Winter said.

"We'll do what we can, but we're Hunters. We aren't perfect. And the Maidens can handle themselves. They were given powers for a reason."

"Aren't there any other Brotherhood members who can help you?" Winter asked. Qrow's immediate thought was of Glynda, desperately trying to piece Vale back together despite the swarms of Grimm still invading the city, and Jimmy, attempting to reason with the rest of the Atlas council but afraid of how the rest of Remnant viewed Atlas after the Vale attack, when Atlas' army turned on innocent students and festival goers.

"No, there isn't," Qrow said with a frown. "For now, we're in this alone." Winter frowned, but she didn't add anything or argue. It took about 30 minutes to find Sable's place, and they'd almost walked right by it. It was a tiny building, snuck almost entirely behind a much larger one, with only two floors, and dirty bricks for walls. Qrow nodded, and let Winter go first, following her down the tiny driveway. She had pulled the hood of her jacket further over her head, covering most of her powder-white hair, and swiftly made her way to the door, pushing it open quickly while Qrow followed. Inside was a tiny hallway, if it could be called that. It was closer to the tiniest waiting room Qrow had ever seen, with a door on the wall opposite them, and a staircase to their immediate right.

"Sable said she's on the second floor," Winter informed him, already climbing up the stairs.

"Who lives on the first?" Qrow asked, wondering if he should check out the downstairs neighbor before meeting with the Maiden.

"No one. It's an empty apartment. Sable chose this place because it's hidden away, and since no one lives downstairs, very few would think someone lived upstairs," Winter explained. When they reached the top of the stairs, a thin corridor with a single door greeted them. They walked to the door and Winter reached forward, hesitating just a moment before knocking. Nothing. A few moments later, the door shifted, and opened an inch, a tanned, partial face with one clear, blue eye staring out, black locks falling over the forehead. The door immediately shut, then opened all the way.

"You came," Sable said, sounding both slightly impressed yet also indifferent. Greetings or manners were not this girl's forte. Not that Qrow was one to judge.

"Of course," Winter said politely, inclining her head towards the Maiden in a tiny sign of respect. Qrow rolled his eyes, strolling into the apartment.

"We said we would, didn't we?" he scoffed, inspecting the room with a small level of curiosity. The apartment opened up into a small, dusty kitchen with a square table and two chairs, and a living room with a single sofa on the other side. Qrow picked up a dust-covered coffee mug from the table, twirling it around with his fingers.

"Qrow, stop playing!" Winter snapped. Qrow raised his eyebrows, mustering his most mocking innocent face, and pointing at himself. Winter scowled, and turned back to Sable, shutting the door behind her. "The Spring Maiden. You've contacted her? She's here?"

"Yes," Sable said, crossing her arms. "I hope it goes without saying, but just in case, you don't ever tell anyone else about her, or any of this. Don't overstep your boundaries either. We agreed to help you. Don't make us regret that."

"Yeah, yeah," Qrow muttered.

"Of course. It's completely understood," Winter said quickly, shooting Qrow a hard look. Sable glanced back and forth between the two for a moment, before sighing and turning her head to the hall behind her. A young woman stepped out of one of the rooms and glided forward, stopping by Sable's side. She was slightly taller than Sable, with smooth, dark brown hair that was pushed back with a headband and fell just past her shoulders. She wore an arrangement of pale blues and greens, and had a much softer look than the sharp, angular Sable. She smiled sweetly, giving a short bow.

"Hello. My name's Beth," she said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Winter, and this is Qrow," Winter said, taking a step forward. "Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with us."

"Sable has told me you are a member of the Brotherhood," Beth said, now directing her attention to Qrow. "We aren't often contacted by the Brotherhood, so the dangers Sable has told me about must be serious." She smiled sadly. "She told me you tried to save Amber as well."

 _Did she?_ Qrow wondered, glancing at Sable. The woman was avoiding his gaze, a scowl etched on her face. After how angry Sable had gotten when he mentioned Amber, he was surprised Beth had a more positive view of him than her friend. Unsure of how to respond to Beth's statement, he nodded solemnly instead.

"Sable also said you ran into the White Fang," Beth added.

"We had a slight altercation with them," Winter allowed.

"Sure. 'Slight'," Qrow whispered mischievously. Winter shot him another look, and he coughed. "You should also know that we ran into someone this morning who knew about our fight with the White Fang. They probably worked for them, or maybe even the woman who attacked Beacon, Cinder Fall."

"The new Autumn Maiden," Beth said sadly. "It's disappointing that our new sister is so misguided and full of hatred towards peace. If there was a better, more certain way of passing the power of the Maiden's to another, it would have a much smaller chance of falling into the wrong hands." Qrow glanced away, thinking of how Ironwood had figured out a way to do just that, how Ozpin and Glynda had agreed it was for the best, how they had dragged Pyrrha Nikos into the mess before all hell broke loose.

"If I ever see that Maiden, I'll make sure that power passes onto someone who isn't a psychotic dragon-lady," Sable said grimly, her lips curving into an almost evil smile. Beth nudged her, a look of disapproval on her face. "It's what she deserves," Sable insisted. "Who knows how many people are dead because of her?"

"Then we can find a way to stop her." Beth returned her gaze to Qrow and Winter. "Do you know where she is? What kind of information do you have?" Winter looked over at Qrow; clearly, this question was meant for him.

"I don't know where she is; last I checked, she was stuck on the top of Beacon tower, but that was weeks ago. She could have been moved. I know she's working for someone else. That someone else is a very powerful person, with multiple associates and pawns doing the dirty work for her so no one finds out who's masterminding this thing." Qrow crossed his arms, eyes narrowed in thought.

"So we go after the bigwig!" Sable said earnestly. Qrow shook his head.

"No one knows exactly where she is. And I doubt it'd be any place easy to get to. It's best if we find her associates first. The higher they are on the ladder, the better."

"The more help we can get, the better," Winter chimed in.

"Why don't we ask some of the other Brotherhood members? Or people who will surely help us?" Beth suggested, expression brightening. "The Academy leaders might listen to what we have to say."

"Maybe, but there's no guarantee," Qrow said.

"What about Ozpin? He would be a tremendous help. He must know something," Beth inquired. Winter's eyes darted over to Qrow, and he looked at the floor.

"I haven't seen Ozpin since the attack on Vale," Qrow said slowly. He paused, wondering if he should voice the possibility that old Oz could be dead, when Beth suddenly smiled, and reached into her pocket.

"Your friend, he wanted me to give you this," she said, holding something out to him. Qrow took it in his hand. It was a folded piece of paper. On the front of the paper was the sentence, " _All the fairy tales are real_ ". He unfolded it, reading the few sentences that had been written on the sheet.

 _SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING._

 _THE FALL MAIDEN WILL AWAKEN._

 _I CANNOT HELP YOU ANY LONGER. DO NOT LOOK FOR ME._

Qrow blinked, staring at the note. Winter leaned in close, reading the sentences quickly, her mouth setting into a grim line.

"Who's it from?" she asked in a low tone.

"I don't know," Qrow said, but it was a lie, at least partially. "I think … it's from Oz."

"Is he sending help?" Beth asked.

"No. Whether it's from him or not, it's just a few cryptic messages. Stuff about not being able to help us, and the Fall Maiden waking up."

"The Fall Maiden is frozen on top of Beacon tower," Winter said.

"Not for long," Qrow mumbled. He reached behind him, feeling around his belt, touching the tip of his weapon, and froze. He ran a hand along the cool blade, and felt around his belt, his movements becoming jerky and he tried to hide his franticness. The color drained from his face.

"Qrow?" Winter placed a hand gently on his shoulder, concern evident in her tone.

"Oz's cane," he said, a mixture of genuine shock and fear filling him. "It's not on my belt loop anymore. It's gone."

 **XXX**

A regal looking woman sat in a huge chair of purple crystal, staring out the window of a long room. She tapped the arm of the chair with a long black fingernail, her robes and the dark, spiraling lines that inked her skin a sharp contrast to her pure white skin and hair. The door at the other end of the room squeaked open, and man stepped through, but she didn't turn. It was not just because she had called the man to her, but she wanted her associates and followers to understand what was expected of them. Punctuality and certainty were just two of many on a long list of expectations.

"Watts," she said just as the man stopped behind her chair. Her voice sounded elegant and young, not unfriendly. "What news have you brought me?"

"Puck Goodfellow sent the given message, and has returned with the object you asked for," Watts said. Salem's eyebrows lifted, but just barely. She was faintly surprised the young boy had managed, but not overly shocked or impressed. She always planned for mistakes, failures, or accidents to happen, always had a scapegoat ready for the people of Remnant. If one of her followers actually succeeded in their mission, it just made her that much more content and pleased.

"Good. I want it brought to me. Immediately."

"Of course, my lady." Watts gave a short bow, then stood up straight. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Yes. There is." Salem turned her dark red eyes on Watts, who held back a wince. "Send Harish and Altair to Beacon. It's been long enough. We need our Fall Maiden back. If they need anyone else, send them. Bring Cinder back. Understood?" Her eyes glowed brighter, and Watts nodded vigorously.

"Of course. Consider it done."

"And one more thing. I've heard about some stirrings in Mistral, and I wanted you to get in touch with a certain associate. A friend of a friend, if you will. I need something done, and she has the specific skill set I want. If you would be so kind as to send a message for me-."

"Of course," Watts repeated, dipping his head respectfully. Salem waved a hand, and Watts quickly made his way out of the room, leaving Salem to look over her dark dimension, filled with nothing but crystal and shadow, Grimm and moonlight, cast from the shattered moon that looked over her own world as well as Remnant.

"Finally, Ozpin," she whispered. "I've accomplished what you've feared, because of you. I have turned this game around. And you were powerless to stop me. Finally."

 **XXX**

 **Well! Hi again! It's been awhile... 3 months? I'm sorry this chapter took so long. It was incredibly hard to write, and I was still figuring out how I wanted to pace it, what things should happen when, etc. I thought about cutting it off earlier, just so I could actually post something sooner. But I figured after all this waiting, you guys deserved the slightly longer version of this chapter, so here it is.**

 **I guess I can also say that this is officially an AU now! To be honest, for this story to continue, it kind of has to be. The original plan was for this story to be a one or two-shot, and to fit in perfectly with Volume 4 of RWBY, but now, it's really developed into its own thing, and I think just re-writing Volume 4, only with Winter traveling beside Qrow, would kind of be a cop out, and not make a lot of sense. So this story will continue, and while many things will match up with RWBY, even Volume 4, not everything will. In fact, you might have noticed some characters or events that appeared in Volume 4. I like to use as many canon characters as possible, and many of them are necessary to this story as well, so you will be seeing some of the newer characters from the show.**

 **A lot happened in this chapter! Our heroes have found themselves in a bit of a pickle, and the enemy is not giving them any downtime. There were a few hints as to what may happen in the future of this story; feel free to share any theories you have! I love hearing them! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in a comment/review as well!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! More to come (eventually. Hopefully it won't be 3 months).**


	11. Chapter 11

**Another chapter! And it didn't take as long to write and get this one up! This chapter is the longest so far too!**

 **Author's note at the bottom.**

 **Nothing in the RWBY canon belongs to me.**

 **XXX**

Faint beams of early morning sunlight shone into Sable's living room, sending stripes of light everywhere. Winter was seated in the armchair closest to the window, gazing out and lost in thought. The sun had only risen a few moments ago, and the Maidens and Qrow were still sleeping. Sable had been kind enough to let the two Hunters stay overnight, though she had treated it with the same amount of irritation she seemed to treat everything. Beth had been much kinder, offering to help in anyway she could, though Winter waved her off more often than not.

The night before had not gone completely smooth. After the Maidens had left Qrow and Winter alone in the living room, Qrow had stormed out into the hall, Winter following a moment after. She had found him leaning towards the wall opposite the door, a hand curled into a fist. The other hand was gripping the hilt of his sword, fingers twitching as if he would swing his sword and slash the wall at any moment.

"Qrow," Winter said in a low voice.

"What, Schnee?" he said, sounding very frustrated. She paused, unsure of where to begin.

"We will work through this. We-," She stopped herself. She had been ready to say _we don't need Ozpin's cane._ But what if they did? Or what if Qrow did, be it for reasons related to their mission or his own personal reasons? He had been carrying it since their mission had begun. Perhaps it carried some importance to him. Qrow whipped his head towards her, meeting her gaze.

"I … I shouldn't have lost it. I wasn't thinking straight, and I wasn't paying close enough attention. And now, I've lost our last connection to Ozpin, the one person who may know everything that is happening. Who may have all the answers." He shook his head. "I screwed up, Schnee." Winter watched him curl his hand into a fist and hit the wall, not hard, but enough to show the slouch in his shoulders as he let his hand fall, the dejected way his head hung. She clasped her hands, taking a step towards Qrow.

"Maybe it would have helped us. But perhaps not. We have no way of knowing." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "People make mistakes Qrow. You can't let it stop you." Her lips quirked into a small smile. "Even Huntsmen, even you, the drunken-ass, are allowed to make mistakes. I would have thought someone with your experience and wit would know that!" Qrow let himself smile at that, and gave a low chuckle. He turned his head to face Winter, their faces barely a foot apart.

"That's a little sentimental for you, isn't it?" he teased. "Who knew the Ice Queen has such a warm heart." Winter crossed her arms, doing her best to keep a straight face.

"Who knew you were such the soft-hearted type?" Winter retorted. Qrow smirked, so close to a real smile, though the expression didn't reach his eyes.

"You know, Oz's cane is probably halfway to our enemy by now," he said.

"We can find a way around this. This battle isn't over yet."

"...That note that the Maiden had." Winter met his gaze, blue eyes gleaming in anticipation. "It said 'all the fairy tales are real'. And ol' Oz, he filled our heads with a lot of them. Some were more historical than others, but each held more truth than you might think. The Maidens and the existence of magic is the first thing you learn when you join the Brotherhood. But Ozpin taught us that there was even more secrets in the world than that." Qrow stared into Winter's eyes, leaning in closer. "How familiar are you with the Great War?"

"Of course," Winter said. "I doubt there's a soul in Remnant who isn't."

"So then you probably heard the basic version everyone has heard. Mantle and Mistral fighting Vale and Vacuo."

"Mistral and Mantle tried to attack Vacuo in order to cut off their Dust supply and take over their mines. But Vale's army, led by the kingdom's own leader, arrived and was able to beat the opposing armies."

"Do you know how Vale was able to beat both Mantle and Mistral's armies?" Qrow questioned, his red eyes burning into her own. Winter forced herself to hold his gaze, placing a hand on her hip.

"The armies, specifically Mantle, had trouble with Vacuo's harsh weather, and were inexperienced in desert combat," she listed off. Qrow rolled his eyes.

"Sure, that's what they tell everyone nowadays. It's believable enough, considering Mantle's a frozen wasteland." His face turned serious. "What do you know of Vale's king?" Winter narrowed her eyes, searching his face for some kind of answer, some reason for this conversation on an eighty-year old war.

"Not much," she finally admitted.

"The Warrior King of Vale led his army against Mistral and Mantle's and won. He singlehandedly won the battle."

"Qrow, are you attempting to convince me that king of Vale was able to win against two armies with no help at all?"

"Just about. Sure, he had his own army he led, but the Warrior King took down hundreds of soldiers by himself. And that's not an exaggeration. He wielded a great power the world had never seen before. And when the dust settled, the three other world leaders were ready to bow before him; he had proven himself powerful beyond measure a dozen times over. But he decided against it, and helped from the Treaty instead. As well as the Huntsmen Academies."

"Your point, Qrow?" Winter drawled.

"There's only a few records that possibly indicate the date of the Warrior King's death. And sometime around those dates, the king's scepter vanished." Winter blinked.

"What on earth does his scepter have to do with anything?!"

"Think, Schnee! The king might have wielded a sword in battle, but he carried his scepter with him as well."

"And the scepter was a source of his power?"

"Part of it," Qrow said, his mouth briefly twitching into a frown.

"Are you telling me we need the scepter?" Winter asked, and almost immediately felt foolish for the question. Qrow raised an eyebrow, and she began to put the pieces together. "Ozpin's cane is the scepter."

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Qrow exclaimed sarcastically.

"How did Ozpin get the scepter of the King of Vale?"

"Ozpin's a lot older than you think. And he remembers things before he was even born." Qrow glanced at Winter, whose mouth was gaping, confusion written on her face.

"What do you mean? He can't remember the war. He wasn't there."

"He was, and he wasn't," Qrow said casually, cracking his neck. He slipped around Winter, already reaching for the door.

"Really? You are seriously not going to mention anything else, Qrow?" Winter said blandly. Qrow ran a hand through his hair, then turned to wink at her.

"I've got to keep you on your toes, Schnee. Keep ya guessing." He opened the door, holding it in its spot for her. "Besides, I'm beat. Another time, Ice Queen. Or if we find Ozpin, I'll let him tell you." Winter frowned, but followed him back into Sable's apartment. She was beginning to accept that she might never know everything Qrow or Ozpin knew. That what pieces of information she got would come in cryptic, unfinished stories. Though had she not joined Qrow on the journey to Mistral, she would know none of this. She would be stuck in Atlas.

She didn't even think before sinking into the armchair by the window, head lolling to the side. She crossed her arms, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. Someone chuckled from across the room.

"You want the couch, Schnee?" she heard Qrow ask. Winter frowned, eyes still closed.

"No," she murmured. "I'm fine with the chair." A few seconds passed. "You know, guys don't always have to give the girl the couch."

"I know. You're tough," she heard Qrow say. "We guys just like to be polite gentlemen." There was enough of a hint of sarcasm and teasing that nearly made Winter snort. Instead, she allowed herself to smile, and that was when she had fallen asleep.

Now, Winter stared out the window, thinking of the courtyards at the Atlas Military Academy, and her old bedroom back at the Schnee manor. She thought of the snow covered mountains that surrounded Atlas, and how bright the refraction of light off the snow made the city seem. How the garden behind the manor, despite the fire Dust crystals keeping it warm enough for year round flowers, had seemed so cold and lonely. Winter wondered what Weiss was doing now.

"Gee, what a pretty picture." Winter snapped her head around. Qrow's eyes were barely open, but he had his head propped up against his hand as he lay against the back of the couch, a position that made him look attentive despite his bleary eyes and dark circles. "It's nice waking up and seeing a beautiful, sunlit woman-,"

"Instead of the bottom of an empty bottle?" Winter asked dryly. Qrow's eyes opened, and he put a hand to his heart, feigning injury.

"That one actually hurt, Schnee."

"You'll live."

Qrow huffed, stretching his arms and groaning as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He looked at Winter, eyes bright despite the tired lines surrounding them. "What's on the agenda today?" he asked her.

"We talked about the councils before, and the headmaster of Mistral's Academy," Winter said, looking away for a moment. "We have no time to waste. We need to contact them immediately. Set up a meeting, if possible." Qrow nodded in agreement.

"I have a few connections that could help. I'll see if I can set up a meeting."

"I could try pulling some strings as well. Say I've come on behalf of the general. To make peace," Winter said, climbing out of her chair. Qrow watched her carefully.

"You don't have to do that," he said slowly. Winter glanced at him for a brief second, then glanced away again.

"If we need to, I'll do it," Winter said, though she furrowed her brow. What would the General say, if he knew about what she'd been doing for the past few weeks? What she might still do yet?

Sable and Beth woke up a little while later. Beth walked out of her room calmly, immediately heading to the kitchen to make coffee with a soft 'good morning'. Compared to Sable, she was an entirely calming presence; exactly what Winter thought the Spring Maiden should be like. Beth was nothing but kind, offering to make them breakfast. That's when Sable exited her own room.

"I'll take some coffee, Beth," she said in what was probably the closest to cheerful Sable got. It wasn't saying much.

"Thank you, Beth," Winter added, carefully holding a hot mug between her hands. Beth turned and smiled sweetly at her, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs.

"I figured you would need the energy. I assume you're going out today?" Beth inquired. Sable looked up from her plate, half of a bagel stuffed in her mouth.

"We're hoping to meet with Mistral Academy's headmaster," Qrow said. Beth nodded, as if she had expected this answer.

"That's a good idea. Headmaster Lionheart is usually a calm and level-headed man. He will hopefully listen to you," Beth said, taking a sip of coffee.

"What do you want us to do?" Sable asked.

"Nothing," Qrow said.

"What?" Sable asked, almost incredulously.

"We can go see the Headmaster ourselves," Qrow continued.

"We don't want you to get hurt," Winter added, hoping to stop any potential argument. "We've seen from the attack at Vale that the Maidens are being targeted. We don't want to put you in unnecessary danger." Sable clenched her hands into fists, scoffing.

"We can handle ourselves," she argued. "You brought us together because you wanted our help!"

"When we need it. Should a battle come, or our enemy attack, then we'll call you," Qrow shot back. "This is just a meeting with a timid professor. _If_ you sense any real danger, feel free to show up."

That had been the end of that conversation. Beth had agreed with Winter and Qrow, though Sable hadn't agreed so much as just kept her mouth shut. Winter and Qrow had left shortly after, following Beth's directions to Haven Academy. Haven was in the next city over, so they would have to find a method of transportation over. Beth suggested using one of the air shuttles that usually took students over, so Winter and Qrow had found the closest shuttle station and waited to be picked up. The guard who had taken their tickets gave them each a strange look as they boarded, but didn't say a word to them, so Winter prayed that he had not recognized her, or that he would think them foreign outsiders. Qrow kept his head down the whole time, constantly uncapping his flask and taking long swigs until Winter plucked it out of his hands.

"Can you stop drinking for a single moment?" she hissed. Qrow snatched the flask back, narrowing his eyes.

"It keeps me relaxed," he slurred.

"It makes you drunk off your ass!" Winter snapped back. "We're going to meet the Headmaster of Haven Academy! Do you remember the last time you showed up drunk to meet with a Headmaster?" Qrow blinked at her, then smiled lazily.

"Course I remember," he drawled. He poked Winter in the shoulder. "That's where we wrecked Beacon's courtyard, after you so unprofessionally attacked me." Winter felt her cheeks burn and she snapped her gaze away, clenching her jaw.

"I lost my temper after being provoked by the likes of you, which I took full responsibility for. You _did_ wander, drunk, onto a school campus filled with students, including your niece and my sister, and then proceeded to destroy Atlas military property," Winter reminded him. Qrow narrowed his eyes in concentration, thinking for a moment.

"Huh. I guess I did," he said gruffly, smiling lazily. He held his flask to his lips again, then frowned, tipping the flask over. A single drop fell out. "You know, when I went to Beacon, that behavior would have been normal, healthy even." Winter scoffed.

"Really?"

"Well, maybe not quite. I did get away with wearing a skirt though," Qrow remembered, his voice becoming slightly softer. Winter raised an eyebrow.

"They let you wear a skirt?" Winter asked. "Or more appropriately, why did you wear a skirt in the first place?"

"Taiyang, my teammate, told me it was the school uniform. I'd never been to any kind of formal school before, and Taiyang was always a goody two-shoes, so I believed him," Qrow said nonchalantly. Winter laughed, unable to contain her amusement, and Qrow looked down at her, eyes widening.

"You're an incompetent fool sometimes, Qrow Branwen," Winter said, eyes gleaming like a cat. "I cannot believe you were foolish enough to believe you had to wear a skirt." Qrow stared at her for a moment longer, then shrugged, smiling again.

"The girls all said I had nice legs." He grinned.

The shuttle did not take much longer, and soon an announcement above them declared that Haven Academy was in sight, and the ship would be landing. Once the ship docked, Winter and Qrow left as quickly as possible. A few streets and residential homes stretched out before them, a thick canopy of trees covering many of the rooftops. It reminded Winter of a more rural, rustic version of Vale. And past the streets, the homes, and what looked like a miniature forest, Haven Academy was just visible. A hazy mist partially covered the Academy, and it did not have the high towers of Atlas or Beacon, but it was still grand.

It took another fifteen minutes to get to the actual Academy. Winter had been prepared to walk, but Qrow had waved down a rickshaw, slipping the runner some Lien, before hopping in and holding a hand out to her. The rickshaw runner took them to the gates of Haven Academy, a large, rounded arch with a grassy pathway to the main building. Winter hopped out, Qrow following suit. The two began the long walk

"Haven Academy. You ever been here?" Qrow asked.

"I've flown by when I was back in my early days of training. We were helping to make trade deliveries with the military, as I was shadowing one of the Head Atlesian Specialists. The General accompanied us as well," Winter said thoughtfully. "What about you?"

"I've been on some missions in the area. Nothing as nice as Jimmy's private airships and fancy meetings." Qrow shrugged his shoulders, slouching forward a bit. "I spent time around the bottom-feeders of the kingdom." He squinted his eyes, then jerked his head toward the building before them. A large, red door was the entrance, and on each side was a guard.

"I'm surprised at the security. I don't recall anything similar to this at Beacon," Winter said slowly.

"There wasn't any," Qrow said. Winter glanced over at him. His eyes had narrowed, his mouth set in a firm frown, his back now straight and taut.

"Excuse me!" Qrow called, waving a hand as they neared the door. The guards started, then brought up their guns. Winter noticed each seemed to have some kind of metal rods on their belts as well.

"Freeze! Don't move any closer!" one yelled. Qrow lazily held his hands up in a surrender movement.

"Relax. We're here to see Lionheart," he drawled.

"You cannot enter the school grounds unless you are a student, faculty member, or there is an emergency," the second guard shouted. Winter took a few quick steps forward.

"There is an emergency! It's why we need to see Lionheart!" she exclaimed indignantly. The first guard moved toward her, aiming his gun right at her chest.

"I said don't move!" The guard moved closer, just a few feet away from Winter. "Do you have any admittance to the school? Can a staff member confirm that you have a meeting?" Winter's mouth twitched, her hands itching to curl into fists.

"We have not set up an official meeting," Winter began, hoping she sounded professional, "but we are here on urgent business matters that we need to discuss with Professor Lionheart."

"Without proof, we cannot let you enter the school," the second guard said, shaking her head. She held her wrist up to her mouth, whispering something quickly in a low tone. _Most likely a form of walkie-talkie_ , Winter suspected.

"Try telling Lionheart that a friend of Ozpin's is here, and the matter is urgent," Qrow suggested.

"Professor Ozpin has not reached out or visited the Professor, that we have been informed of. Communication has been cut off between the kingdoms. Do you have any proof you are here on Professor Ozpin's behalf?" the first guard asked, now sounding incredibly suspicious. Qrow grimaced, scratching his head.

"Well, not exactly," Qrow started. The guards moved closer, their grips on their weapons tightening. At the same moment, the red doors behind them swung open.

"Excuse me!" A high-pitched woman's voice broke the tense air between the two parties. A short, petite woman with thick, orange, braided hair stepped out, heeled boots thumping a bit when the floor shifted to grass. "May I ask who you are, and why you are trying to gain access to this building?" Winter looked the woman up and down. The woman, presumably a professor, was shorter than Weiss by a few inches, and was dressed in a brown pantsuit. Her posture was straight, firm, but there was a sense of franticness about her. Her pale yellow eyes kept darting between Winter and Qrow.

"Ma'am, please excuse our untimely appearance, but we must speak with Professor Lionheart!" Winter insisted.

"You do not have a scheduled meeting with the Headmaster, and we have no proof of who you are! I cannot allow you to enter the building," the professor said with a violent shake of her head. Qrow growled, stomping forward until he stood by Winter's side.

"I'm a friend of Ozpin's. I know Ozpin and Lionheart were good friends. And if Lionheart heard what I had to say, he'd want to meet with me," Qrow snapped. The woman pursed her lips, rocking back and forth on her heels. "People's lives could be in danger!" Qrow yelled. Winter snapped a hand out, circling Qrow's wrist. _Don't get too angry. Don't snap, Qrow,_ she thought.

"I will allow you inside the Academy," the professor finally allowed. You will stay by me, and guards will accompany us," she said sternly. "And you will leave your weapons at the door." Both Qrow and Winter frowned, but they obliged. Qrow pulled his large sword off his back, handing it over to the first guard, while Winter reluctantly handed her sabre over. The woman eyed Winter. "Backpack too." Winter grimaced, but shrugged her pack off, handing it to the guard. The guard casually flipped the top open, making a small noise of surprise.

"There's a fair amount of Dust in here, Professor Cameroon," the guard exclaimed. Professor Cameroon turned to Winter, her eyebrows raised.

"It's for my weapon," Winter said, immediately realizing how ridiculous the sentence sounded. She didn't want to reveal that her family name and military status granted her easier access to Dust and weapons, or even that she was from Atlas in the first place. But anything else was a lie, and there was no way to make the fact that she and Qrow showed up out of nowhere with weapons and extra Dust and Lien sound good.

"I see. Well, we will have to confiscate this," Professor Cameroon said, snapping her fingers at the guard. Winter stared at the professor.

"I need that back! That Dust was extremely costly, and is the property of a -," Winter stopped, glancing over at Qrow, who was pointedly ignoring her gaze, though his jaw was stiff. "It belongs to me."

"I'm sorry, but given the recent circumstances at Vale, I'm sure you must understand why we need to take such precautions," the professor said, flipping her braid over her shoulder. "Now, if you'd like to speak with the Headmaster, please follow me." The woman turned on her heel and lead the way indoors. Winter and Qrow followed behind, and the moment they entered the building, two new guards stepped out from the dark hallways on each side. Qrow scoffed, but the guards gave no hint of a reaction. A large staircase was centered in the room, splitting at the top into two separate staircases. Winter suspected the classrooms were up there.

Professor Cameroon did not lead them up the staircase, but instead took them down a dark corridor that ended in a set of elevators. She pressed the round button on the wall, and the screen above the door glowed to life, the floor numbers flickering for a moment. The door slid open and Professor Cameroon stepped inside, motioning Qrow and Winter to follow. Winter entered the elevator, Qrow lazily following her. The guards followed inside, each with the same weapons on their belts as the previous ones. The elevator lurched upwards, making a low humming sound.

"Professor Lionheart will be in his room on the top floor. I will leave you to discuss … whatever it is you've come for," Professor Cameroon said, rolling her eyes and glancing at Winter and Qrow with thinly veiled contempt. Then her face hardened. "Should you two cause even the slightest hint of trouble, I will make sure you are forcibly removed from the premises. In pieces, if need be. Clear?"

"Crystal," Qrow said dryly. She nodded, and the elevator stopped, the doors sliding open.

"The guards will be watching you," she added darkly as the two Hunters stepped out of the elevator. The professor stood up straighter, raising her voice. "Professor Lionheart, you have two guests who are here to see you!" Winter stared ahead of her. The room opened up into a large opening with rounded walls, fitted bookshelves on each side. The third of the room that wasn't bookshelves was a wide, floor-to-ceiling window, with a mahogany desk in front of it. A massive, green chair was facing the window, away from Qrow and Winter. When Professor Cameroon called out, the chair squeaked and slowly swiveled to face them.

Professor Lionheart was quite large himself, with wide shoulders, muscled arms covered by his shirt, and a broad face. Long, golden brown hair framed his face, and he had a thick mustache the same color. The man had what Winter might call a gentle face, but the lines under his eyes just made him look tired. His shoulders slouched forward, as if something heavy and invisible were sitting there, bearing down on him. Winter bowed hastily, though Qrow did not move an inch.

"Professor Lionheart, we apologize for intruding. But we have something of importance to discuss with you," Winter said, straightening herself. The professor raised his eyebrows wearily. Winter waited a moment. Silence. After a few more awkward moments passed, and the professor kept silent, Winter cleared her throat. "Headmaster, we are unsure if you are aware that the night Beacon fell-,"

"I know what happened when Vale was attacked," the headmaster rumbled. Winter stiffened. "Why are you here? What does Vale have to do with this?" Winter opened her mouth to reply, but Qrow cut in.

"Sir, we have a mutual friend. Ozpin," Qrow said gruffly, taking a few steps toward the desk. "I've heard your name mentioned quite a bit, and I expect you've heard mine." Lionheart narrowed his eyes, taking in Qrow's appearance, then nodded.

"You must be Qrow. We've indirectly spoken before because of -," he paused, glancing at Winter suspiciously. A hand went to his wrist.

"She's been informed about the Brotherhood," Qrow explained. Lionheart's expression relaxed, then returned to Qrow.

"The Fall Maiden?" Lionheart asked.

"Her power was stolen, and she was killed by the new Fall Maiden. The woman, Cinder Fall, helped orchestrate the attack on Vale. It's been a few weeks since I've heard anything, with the CCT down and everything, but last I checked, she was still stuck on top of Beacon tower."

"Stuck? How do you mean?" Lionheart frowned, his brows furrowing into a deep line.

"It doesn't matter," Qrow said abruptly. Winter shifted her eyes to him, puzzled. "We're here because we believe some of her associates are here in Mistral, planning something else." Qrow lowered his voice, adding on, "They're working with _her._ " Lionheart's head snapped upwards. His hands clenched into fists, and he growled.

"Do we have proof of this?" he asked cautiously. "You know as well as I do that there have been false alarms before, and there's no need to cause a panic." He leaned across the desk. "Given that Ozpin has all but disappeared from the world, I'm not sure I can trust what you say." Qrow leaned forward, placing his hands on the headmaster's desk. The two guards at the elevator took a step forward, hands going to their belts.

"You're part of the Brotherhood though," Qrow growled. "You're Ozpin's friend. You know what happened to Amber, and to Vale. You're just going to ignore it all?"

"If I recall, James Ironwood was part of the Brotherhood as well," Lionheart said in a low tone, his honey-colored eyes narrowing. Qrow arched an eyebrow.

"The General has nothing to do with this."

"That is where you're wrong. I saw the same feeds everyone else saw. Atlas turned on Vale. And then the CCT fell, and most of the borders between kingdoms have closed." Lionheart reached for a large, orange mug on his desk, taking a sip, before setting it back down. "Atlas is no longer trading with Mistral any longer, and we've received no word whatsoever from them. As for Vale, Ozpin is missing, and the council has been reluctant to speak with us, even though we're trying to overlook the attack of one of Beacon's students over our own." Winter saw Qrow's shoulder tense up, the muscles in his jaw tightening at the mention of his niece.

"Sir, please, if I may," Winter began, stepping towards the desk. Both Lionheart and Qrow turned to look at her. Lionheart's expression was one of weariness and suspicion, while Qrow's was a warning sign. She placed her hands behind her back. "Sir, I am from Atlas, and I can assure you that our intent was never to attack Vale, nor would the Atlesian army ever even consider such an act. One of our ships was stolen and hijacked, allowing control over many of our robotics to be reprogrammed." Lionheart's expression shifted, slight interest on his face now, though he still appeared suspicious.

"And how do you know that?" he asked. Winter set her mouth in a determined line, briefly exchanging glances with Qrow, who was still sending her cautioning gazes.

"My name is Winter, and I am an Atlesian Specialist," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "I came here with Qrow to inform you of what happened to both Vale and Atlas that day, and warn you that the enemy responsible has not been caught. And you may be next." Lionheart froze, his eyes glazing over. Moments passed, with nothing but silence filling the air. Winter frowned, reaching a hand out slowly. "Professor? Are you alright?" Almost immediately, his features shifted, his face becoming wrath-filled. The man stood up so quickly the desk shook, and Qrow released his own grip on the desk, jumping back a bit,

"You're Winter Schnee, member of Ironwood's army and daughter of the leading monopolizer on Dust?!" he snarled. Winter's eyes widened. Had he known it was her the whole time? Why did he sound so sure of her name and who she was? She took a deep breath.

"Sir, my family name and my father's company has nothing to do with this," she said.

"I should have known that an Atlesian spy would try to sneak their way into my school." He shook his head. "But I hoped General Ironwood was better than that."

"The General did not send me here to spy. I came of my own accord!" Winter insisted. "But I know the General would want peace, and I know for fact that the Atlesian army did not attack Vale on purpose."

"Even if you were telling the truth, do you think matters to the people of Vale? The ones who were killed by your robots? Their family members?" Lionheart's eyes darkened. "Ironwood was creating sentient robots with Auras. I saw the one that was disguised as a little girl when she was destroyed by the Vale student. There was no reason for her creation, unless she was going to be used as a spy to infiltrate other kingdoms." Winter winced at the mention of Penny.

"Sir-," she began again, but Lionheart was done listening.

"I was advised to take caution when I heard Atlas soldiers might try to sneak into Mistral, into Haven. I still hoped that there might be peace. But it seems that is the last thing Atlas wants. As for Vale, I cannot say. They're hardly in a position to do anything except rebuild."

"Ozpin would have listened to us. If you don't listen to us, you might be the next target." Qrow was glaring daggers at the professor. A crow, staring down a lion. He began to dig in his pocket. "I have a note from Ozpin-,"

"Ozpin also listened to the General, and now his school is gone, Vale in ruins, and no one has heard from him since the Festival," Lionheart said harshly. "I am not Ozpin, and I must do what I think is best for my school. Ozpin's trust seems to have been misplaced." Lionheart waved a hand at the guards, and they stepped forward, weapons now in their hands. "Leave my academy, and the kingdom, right this moment, and I will not press charges."

"Charges?!" Winter couldn't believe her ears. Qrow was seething. One of the guards grabbed his arm, but the man shook it off.

"Let go," he growled. He turned to Lionheart one last time. "If you don't accept our help now, Haven might fall the same way Beacon did. We need to work together. Please." The last note in Qrow's plea caught Winter's attention. She gazed at him for a moment, and the gravity of the moment hit her. If Lionheart didn't listen to them, the exact same thing would happen. More people would die. And in that moment, Winter's heart fell as she understood Lionheart would not listen to them.

"We will protect Haven, as we always have," Lionheart said coolly. He nodded, and the guards held up their weapons. Qrow raised his hands, but he still looked angry and frustrated.

"Come down, we're leaving," he snapped. Winter nodded, and the two walked to the elevator, the guards at their sides. As they walked in, the doors sliding open to let them through, Qrow spun around, glaring at Professor Lionheart. "I sure hope you don't regret this." Lionheart's mouth twitched, as if he might dismiss Qrow one last time, but the doors slide shut, and the headmaster disappeared from sight. When they reached the first floor and the doors once again slid open, two more guards were waiting there to take them to the door. The four guards made a diamond shape around them, one guard in front, one in back, and one on each side of Qrow and Winter. They led the Hunters to the door, silent, but clear distrust on their faces. Another pair of guards stood on each side of the massive door. A table was next to the one on the right, and Winter's eyes fell upon her pack and sabre, sitting atop Qrow's sword.

"Excuse me. May we have our weapons returned to us?" Winter asked politely.

"We've been ordered to escort you from the premises. Your weapons have been confiscated," the guard in front of them said. Winter's eyebrows shot upwards.

"You do not have the right to do that! We were promised by your staff we would have them returned!" Winter exclaimed. One of the guards had the nerve to shrug, and Winter's anger rose, her cheeks heating with rage.

"We have new orders," he said. Winter stared at him, then leaned back, rocking on her heels. Qrow stood perfectly still by her, his hands clenched into fists.

"Fine," she said. The guards looked at each other, confused for a moment, then yelled, backing away from Qrow and Winter. A large glyph glowed beneath them, beams of light blinding the guards. They screamed and jumped back as a creature rose from the glyph, glowing white and blue.

Flanking Winter on each side were two Beowolves. One growled at the nearest guard, sending her skittering back.

"Give us our weapons now," Winter hissed, holding out a hand. The guards didn't move, whether from fear of the Grimm or of disobeying orders. Winter tsked, then leapt towards the table with their weapons. That broke the daze of the guards, and they lunged forward. Qrow spun around and immediately punched one right in the jaw, sending the guard flying into the nearest wall. The Summoned Beowolves roared and began slashing and biting at the guards, creating a pathway for Winter, who grabbed her sabre and pack, throwing the latter onto her back.

"Qrow," she yelled, hauling his sword up and throwing it, a glyph accelerating the weapon's momentum. Qrow stretched a hand upwards, and the sword-scythe hit his palm. He curled his fingers around the handle, grinning.

"Stop!" a guard yelled, but Winter ignored him, slamming the door open with a kick.

"Qrow, let's go!" Qrow wasted no time, sprinting to the door, slashing through any guards that attempted to jump in his way. Winter's Beowolves circled the guards, still lunging and attaching them as Winter and Qrow bolted out of the academy.

"Nice work," he yelled to her as the two ran down the long, grassy pathway. "How long will the Summons stay there?"

"Not much longer," Winter replied. "They'll disappear soon, but we should have enough time to get out of this damn school!" Qrow laughed, and the two sped away, down the streets of the town and back to the airship, Haven Academy disappearing into the mists behind them.

 **XXX**

 **Welp. A lot happened in this chapter! Not looking too good for our mains though, does it? Wonder why Lionheart was so adamant against listening to them. Interesting.**

 **Thanks so much for continuing to read this story! Guess what? I passed both 100 pages in my Document for this story, and this story has passed 100 followers! That's absolutely unbelievable, and it means so much to me. To everyone who has followed and is reading this story, thank you so much. I hope you're enjoying it at least somewhat. I've had a lot of fun writing this. And to all the people who read this every time it updates, and who review this story a lot, an even bigger thank you! Shout-out to Nina Vale, who always reviews this story and is super kind! I was thinking of doing some kind of character contest possibly, as a way to celebrate 100 followers and 100 pages, but I don't know how many people would be interested in that. If you are, leave a comment or shoot me a PM!**

 **This chapter is the longest so far, and it's a heck-ton of dialogue, and the beginning is kind of a flashback to the night before, but I hope it reads okay and wasn't too difficult to follow or too boring. And I'm not sure about how I ended it, but I have a specific place where I'd like to start the next chapter, and I didn't want to end this chapter any sooner, soo... here it is! I've already started the next chapter, and it's going to ... explain a couple things that have happened/been mentioned in the past two chapters. Big stuff is in the works. If you have any theories, review! PM! Let me know, because I love seeing people try to guess what might happen.**

 **I think that about covers it all, so until next time! Enjoy the story! Thank you so much to all my readers!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Another chapter after so long! Yay! Author note at the bottom, per usual. And of course, RWBY is not mine.**

 **A few days earlier**

"Excuse me, Professor Lionheart?" The headmaster looked up from the papers on his desk, peering over the rim of his spectacles. A woman was standing by the door to the elevator, with another young girl beside her.

"Yes?" He asked, a slight frown on his lips. The older woman stepped forward, fixing her glasses. She wore a dark blazer and skirt, and had blond hair piled into a messy bun. The younger girl stayed behind her in the shadows, head bent forward in a half-bow.

"I'm Sarabi Flavia. I made an appointment this past week to meet with you about an extremely important matter," the woman said. Professor Lionheart blinked, peering at the woman harder. She didn't look familiar in the slightest, and he'd had meetings every week for the past month. He couldn't remember this woman's name specifically. He rummaged through the papers on his desk, finally finding his calendar. He found the day's date, narrowing his eyes. Everything blurred for a moment. He readjusted his spectacles, then glanced at the calendar again. In his own handwriting, the name S. Flavia stark on the page.

"My apologies, Ms. Flavia. I've been so busy with meetings of all kinds, I've forgotten who I've even chosen to meet with." He motioned her forward with a hand. "Please, come forward. And your companion. Miss…?" Sarabi Flavia smiled, sashaying up to the professor's desk. She turned, motioning for the girl to follow.

"It's okay, dear. We've talked about this." The girl stiffened, then took a few steps forward, coming up right behind the older woman. Her pale green, cropped bangs partially covered her eyes as she gave another bow, this one slower, as if she was in pain. As she stood up, she met the gaze of Professor Lionheart, bright red eyes staring into amber ones. "Sir, this is Emerald Sustrai, Haven Academy student." Lionheart looked the girl over again. She wore the black uniform of a Haven student, but he couldn't recall ever seeing her in the halls or classrooms, though she seemed vaguely familiar.

"Please to meet you, Miss Sustrai. I'm sorry I haven't had the opportunity before." Professor Lionheart reached across the desk, holding his hand out. The girl, Emerald, stared at it for a moment, then quickly leaned forward and gave his hand a quick shake, before returning to her position by Ms. Flavia. "I pride myself on knowing my students, but there are so many Haven Academy attendees, it's nearly impossible to formally meet them all." Lionheart smiled. "Is there a problem I can help you with?"

"Professor Lionheart, Emerald is the partner of Mercury Black," Sarabi explained, leaning closer as her voice dropped to a whisper. "The student who was attacked during the Vytal Festival tournament by a Beacon student." Lionheart pushed himself backwards, surprised and now staring at Emerald as if she were a new person. She just stared at him in return, a dead look in her eye. "Forgive her for speaking so little. The event was traumatic for her, and though she doesn't want to speak of it, she came here because she knows she can help others through her experience," Sarabi whispered to the headmaster.

"Understandably, of course. Miss Sustrai, please accept my humblest apologies," Lionheart gasped. Emerald inclined her head.

"Thank you, Professor," she said, her voice clear and loud in the round room.

"Your partner? How is he?"

"His leg-," Emerald bit her lip, wiping at her eyes. "His leg was pretty injured. He's at his house with family, still recovering. And I don't even know what happened to the girl who attacked him."

"I can only imagine the horror of witnessing something like that. I'm sorry your partner had to deal with Beacon's … less-than-finest," Lionheart sympathized.

"I also saw what the Atlesian army did to the city of Vale," Emerald added. "Before I was evacuated." Emerald frowned, blinking tears away. Lionheart tilted his head to the side, listening intently to her story. "It was very confusing, especially since Atlas' army had been surrounding Vale for the entire festival." Lionheart's eyebrows shot up.

"The Atlesian army had been there the whole festival?" Lionheart asked, surprised. He had, of course, heard the rumors. A number of close friends and assistants had informed him of such and managed to share a few blurry photos gathered just before the CCT fell. But he'd had no idea exactly how long Atlas had been camping out in Vale.

"Yes. Which is what makes the attack so odd and, if I may, suspicious." Emerald was staring at him once again. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her bangs were beginning to plaster to her forehead from sweat. Whatever this girl had witnessed must have been traumatic, to earn such a reaction. Lionheart shook his head.

"Did you say, Miss Sustrai, there was something you wanted to warn me about?" Emerald nodded, taking a step forward.

"I heard a few rumors when I was being evacuated from Vale. I didn't think anything of it, until I heard others here in Mistral talking about it," she said urgently. "I heard of a plan that Atlas would be sending spies to Mistral. To gain information or trust, I think." Lionheart sat up straighter, eyes widening imperceptibly. He rubbed his chin, eyes becoming briefly unfocused. "They could just be rumors," Emerald offered. "But I thought you should know, sir."

"Yes. Yes, thank you, Miss Sustrai," he said, slowly nodding. Emerald bowed deeply, then stepped back to stand beside Sarabi.

"If there's anything else you need, Headmaster-," Sarabi began.

"No, thank you Ms. Flavia and Miss Sustrai." Lionheart nodded at the two, those his eyes kept flickering to the papers on his desk. "Thank you for sharing your story." Sarabi nodded, then place a hand on Emerald's shoulder, gently steering her to the elevator. A moment later, the doors closed behind them, leaving Lionheart alone in his office. He swiveled in his chair, staring out the window at the Academy's yards. A few students walked along the stone pathways below, but much fewer now than before the Vytal Festival. Haven Academy, like much of Mistral, was covered in lush greenery, and usually, many people spent time outside, walking around or running booths in the markets. Now, the streets seemed deserted, and a number of students had left Haven and never returned. Lionheart squeezed his eyes shut, then pressed the button on his intercom.

"Professor Cameroon, please come up to my office."

"Of course, Headmaster. Is something the matter?" The professor on the other end sounded concerned.

"I'd just like to discuss security measures with you."

 **XXX**

When the elevator doors slid shut, Emerald leaned back against the wall, breathing out a sigh. She rubbed her forehead, grimacing at the dull pain pounding against her skull. Thankful she was now alone in the elevator, she pulled out a thin stack of folded papers from Lionheart's desk, flipping quickly through them. Among the papers was a map of the entire school with basement tunnels leading into Mistral's sewers, an envelope with Lionheart's seal on it, and an unopened letter with a swirling 'O' at the top. Emerald smiled, placing the other two letters in her back pocket before casually taking the unopened letter and ripping it down the middle, before quickly ripping it a dozen more times. She stuffed the remains in her pocket, still smiling cheerfully, though her head still ached. She punched the Basement button on the elevator wall, and the elevator lurched downward, beginning a steady descent.

Just then, her Scroll vibrated. Emerald frowned, pulling the small tablet out of her other pocket and holding it up to her ear.

" _Did you do it?"_ Mercury asked on the other end.

"Of course. It was a piece of cake," Emerald scoffed. "Lionheart's even more nervous than Ozpin was. He was an easy mark." Her head throbbed again, and her hand flew to her temple. "A bit longer than I'd hoped for, and it's hard to trick more than one of the senses at a time, you know."

" _Hey, hey, what matter is you got it done,"_ Mercury said smoothly. " _Because you already have another job."_ Emerald's face scrunched into a grimace.

"Already?" Emerald sighed. "What else have you heard?"

" _Watts said Harish and Altair were heading to Beacon."_ Mercury's voice dropped an octave. " _To free Cinder."_ Emerald felt her heart constrict, the Scroll suddenly slippery.

"They're freeing Cinder?" she asked, her voice quieter, somewhere between hopeful and uncertain.

" _That's what She assigned them,"_ Mercury said. " _Puck also completed his mission too. He returned about a day or two ago."_ Something metallic clanked on the other end of the phone, and Emerald briefly wondered if Mercury was working on prosthetics. " _Anyway, She wanted you to do something else too."_ The elevator came to a stop, and a robotic voice over an intercom reminded Emerald that she had hit the basement floor. The doors opened, revealing a large, empty boiler room. Emerald sashayed out, taking the map out with her free hand and following the directions to a tunnel that would lead her out of the school.

"What's the mission?" she asked.

" _Those Hunters She mentioned before, the ones investigating the Fall of Beacon and the White Fang,"_ Mercury said slyly. " _She wants to make sure they don't get too close to anything, you know, with the upcoming events."_ He snickered. " _Hopefully you can convince them to worry themselves someplace else. Or just have a nice friendly chat."_ Emerald didn't need much more than that. That's all the two of them had needed when they visited Tukson months ago. The Scroll buzzed in her hand, and she lowered it, looking at the screen. Two slightly blurry pictures were on the device; a lanky man with darker hair, hands shoved in his pocket in the lobby of some building, and a young woman with white hair, half turned away from whoever was taking the picture. " _She thinks that after they visit Lionheart, they may lead you to one of the Maidens even."_ At that, Emerald perked up, eyes widening.

"Winter, Summer, or Spring?" she asked.

" _Does it matter?"_ Mercury chuckled. " _Don't know for sure. It's our job to find out. Or draw them out."_ Emerald nodded, ducking as the tunnel's ceiling suddenly dipped down. " _We've got about a week until then. If we're lucky."_

"Until then," Emerald said, shutting the Scroll off. Light flared into the tunnel, and with a few more steps she was standing in a murky alleyway. Lighthearted shouts echoed from further down the alley, most likely from one of the main streets. Emerald grinned, delicately fingering the map and reached into her pocket, picking up the ripped pieces of paper. She held her hand out, letting the bits fall through her figures and blow into the crevices of the street.

 **XXX**

 **Present**

"You did what?!" Sable slammed a hand down on the kitchen table, her mouth gaping. Winter was leaning against the back wall in the living room, arms crossed and eyes averted. Qrow, however, was leaning back in one of the kitchen chairs, twirling his flask around his fingers like a toy, stifling an amused smile. He almost seemed smug.

"Don't sound so pissed." Qrow rolled his eyes. "We did go to meet with Lionheart about Beacon and Ozpin. He just got spooked." Qrow scoffed. "He's always kind of been like that. Nervous on a good day, paranoid on his worst. Maybe I gave him too much credit." He began tapping his fingers against the table, hard, drumming them so hard it sounded like rain.

"Well, good job. You've turned one of the most powerful leaders in Mistral against you." Sable leaned back, crossing her arms with a stormy expression. Beth, seated across from Qrow, carefully took a sip of tea.

"Then what is your plan now?" Beth asked in a low tone. Qrow glanced over at Winter, who furrowed her brows.

"We could speak to the council perhaps," Winter said uncertainly.

"Do you think they will listen when Lionheart hasn't?" Beth asked. Winter looked at Qrow, knowing her worry was probably etched onto her face.

"I don't know," she said. Qrow frowned, still drumming his fingers. Sable's eyes darted between the two, waiting for one of them to speak before finally groaning.

"You dragged us into this shit," she said, her lip curling downwards. "I'm ready to march to the council, even if you aren't." Winter's gaze shot to Sable, and she grimaced.

"The most meekly headmaster kicked us out before we could barely mention anything," she said dryly. "We need to think this out, plan how we will address the council. You think they aren't even more on edge with Vale gone and Atlas-" Winter cut off.

"No one trusted Atlas before. If you viewed yourself as some sort of godsend, you were wrong," Sable snapped, practically spitting the words out. Winter's eyes hardened, flexing her fingers at her side.

"Perhaps Sable and I could go," Beth suggested, breaking the frosty silence. "If we both showed up, we could prove our abilities to them. That because we both can use our powers without Dust, it's not just a Semblance."

"No," Qrow and Winter said at the exact same time.

"Being in the same place for so long is putting you both in enough danger. Sending you to the council would increase that tremendously." Winter walked over to the table, standing by Qrow and facing the two Maidens, posture perfectly straight. "Lionheart mentioned that he'd been advised not to trust any Atlesian soldiers. Someone may have spoken with the council about the same thing." Winter met Sable's gaze again, the Maiden raising an eyebrow in return. "I'll go with you."

"Sure," Sable scoffed. A moment passed, and both eyebrows raised. "Oh, you were being serious?"

"You shouldn't go alone, and I might not have been able to convince Lionheart. But I didn't bring an army with me. I shouldn't be perceived as a threat. I'll just be … "tagging along". Winter wrinkled her nose a bit.

"As my guard?" Sable asked coldly. "I don't need a bodyguard. I saved your ass when we first met, so I think I made it clear I can handle myself."

"I know," Winter said, and meant it. "I'll just be there for backup. In case they have two armies prepared to battle instead of one." At that Sable grinned, mouth stretching with a cocky confidence as she cracked her knuckles. Winter let herself share a small smile, then turned her head to Qrow. He had a small frown on his face. _Don't say I can't do this. Don't ask me if I'm sure,_ Winter thought. His pale, red eyes looked darker than normal, shadowed under his bangs.

"They probably won't trust you. Maybe I should go," he said slowly.

"This time, I could go as an official member of the Atlesian military, sent by General Ironwood," Winter said, a determined look on her face.

"You haven't been sent by the General, though. You'd be lying, Schnee, and if they found out-,"

"I highly doubt they would, with the CCT still inoperable," Winter said staunchly. Qrow met her gaze, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he nodded.

"I guess we're running out of ideas here," he said with a sigh. "Never thought it would get this bad. Seems like we're outnumbered, and the enemy's turned our potential allies against us."

"If they destroy Vale and Mistral, there's only Atlas and Vacuo left," Winter fretted. "Atlas has closed itself off, and Vacuo is not the most organized of the kingdoms. With Mistral out of the picture, the last two kingdoms would be easy to conquer."

"There's still Menagerie," Beth offered.

"I think it's best to assume that the White Fang is fairly ingrained in Menagerie." Winter folded her arms, frowning. "The White Fang must be taken care of too. They played a big part in Vale's downfall."

"You destroy the White Fang, you'll start another war you won't like," Beth cautioned.

"With the kingdoms and innocent lives at stake, I'm willing to take that chance. We must stop the Mistral branch, at the least. Or we'll have a repeat of the battle of Beacon." The four fell silent, the gravity of the situation weighing down on them all. Sable broke the silence first.

"We should leave now then, and speak to the council." Winter nodded in agreement.

"Beth and Qrow then, if you could find the White Fang-," Beth looked down at her mug, biting her lip nervously. Winter leaned forward, speaking softly. "I know it's not the best or most peaceful way to solve this. But the White Fang IS involved. And if we don't stop them, a lot of people will die, and this city will be gone." Beth tore her gaze from her cup, staring at Winter with clear green eyes.

"I understand," she said solemnly. Winter nodded, but before she could add anything, Qrow pushed himself out of his chair and lurched toward the door. Sable and Beth turned around, confused expressions on their face as Qrow swung the door opened and strolled out into the hall, letting the door slowly shut behind him. Winter gaped, a bit flabbergasted, and then immediately followed, marching out the door after him.

"Qrow! Where are you going?" Winter asked, reaching a hand toward him and catching his sleeve.

"Got something I have to do. I'll be back soon," he drawled. Winter opened her mouth to protest. "I promise, Ice Queen. This is important. I'll tell you about when I get back, but I need to head out now."

"Where? We're a team, remember?" Winter said, annoyed. Qrow's eyes widened, and he turned to look at her, a strange look on his face. "What?" she asked, but in that moment he reached forward and put an arm around her, hugging her for a second. Winter's own eyes widened, but she wrapped her arms around him in response.

"You be safe. And I'll be safe too," he mumbled.

"Yes, of course," Winter said, but she felt frozen to the spot, completely at a loss for this side of Qrow, the sarcastic drunk, that she had never seen before. Qrow pulled back quickly, nodding, and then turned back around and walked down the stairs, leaving Winter alone in the hallway. The door into the building slammed shut, and Winter realized he still hadn't said where he was going. _Ass,_ she thought with an internal groan. She headed back into the apartment, met with the expectant stares of Beth and Sable.

"Qrow has something he needs to take care of," she said with as much confidence as she could muster. "He'll return soon, and let you know when you can leave, Beth." Beth simply nodded, giving the woman a sweet smile before returning to her drink. Sable, however, rolled her eyes.

"How you put up with him I'll never understand," she muttered. Winter couldn't help but agree.

XXX

The minute he had left the building and knew Winter or anyone else had not followed him, Qrow shifted into his rarer form and took to the skies. An ability that came in handy, but that even he laughed at for sheer absurdity at times - and a reminder of the tribe he grew up with. But now, he was looking for someone he knew was in Mistral. Someone who might be able to convince Lionheart where he and Winter could not. He wasn't sure what had come over him back at Sable's apartment, when he had embraced Winter. But when she had said they were a team, he couldn't get rid of the image that popped into his head of a young woman in a white cloak and long dark hair, saying the exact same thing. Only that had been years and years ago, and he had not been able to protect her. And that's why he needed it to be different. As stubborn and strict of a nuisance as she was, he could not lose Winter Schnee either.

It took nearly an hour of flying over the city and surrounding woodlands, but finally he spotted what he'd been looking for. He flew down into an alleyway next to a small restaurant, and shifted back into his usual self before heading inside. The restaurant was small, quiet, and very nearly empty. Except for a group of four people sitting at the center table. The one with her back to him was speaking excitedly to the others, though he couldn't see her expression. The bright red cloak she wore hid her entire body from view, and she made no movement to indicate she saw Qrow approaching. So when he reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, she jumped a foot in the air, spinning around with a surprised look on her face. Her silver eyes widened, and she lowered her hood, messy red-black hair falling around her face.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked in disbelief.

"Hey, pipsqueak," he said with a grin. "I have a mission for you."

 **I'm so happy I've finally gotten another chapter up! Hopefully you guys enjoy it, and thanks to all the new followers and favorites this story has gotten. It means so much to me that so many people like this story! And thanks for all the reviews! I love reading them, I appreciate the constructive criticism, and I love to see what your thoughts on the story are.**

 **A Dusty Old Qrow: Thank you so much for the review! I try my best to keep everything balanced, from Qrow and Winter's complicated relationship to the action vs. dialogue. It can be a bit hard, but I try my best and I'm very glad you've enjoyed it! As for Qrow, yes, I can totally see what you mean by Qrow seeming underpowered or weak. That was never my purposeful intention, and despite what I've written so far (action-wise), I generally see Qrow as stronger than Winter. When the two first meet in Volume 3, I think they're evenly matched enough that Winter can hold her own, but by the end, we see Qrow is holding back probably and Winter has a habit of letting her anger get to her. In this story, they are equals working together on the same mission, and I try to write that in their battles as well .There's also this fear I have of making Winter a damsel; I don't want Qrow to save her all the time, and given that she already has a high position in the military at such a young age, I want to show her as having earned that spot. There's so much I could say, but for now I'll say Qrow and Winter are complicated characters, and they each have their own problems they gotta deal with, but they're both very strong Hunters. :) I totally understand what you're saying though, and I'm hoping that events in the future will maybe balance everything out a bit more and give Qrow his spotlight.**

 **NinaVale: To (hopefully) answer your question, Oscar is not a part of this story. This story will have a bit of a different take on Ozpin and what his role in all of this is (you got some hints of it when Qrow was telling Winter about the King of Vale), and thus Oscar is not a part of this story. Probably one of the hardest parts of continuing this story as an AU is that certain parts of canon are kept, and certain parts are not, and it's nearly impossible to explicitly state which parts of Volume 4 canon are kept in this story. Oscar, sadly, is not one of them, as unique and cute of a character as he is. Other characters, like Watts and Lionheart, I keep because I feel like they're necessary for this plot. And others, like Professor Cameroon and Puck, I make up. Hopefully that clears up any confusion about Oscar and Ozpin.**

 **I will say that most new characters from Volume 4 will probably not be included, unless they are integral, like Lionheart. Salem's associates, Tyrian and Hazel, may or may not show up.**

 ***Just as a minor note, I added "slowburn" to the summary of this story because I recently discovered the term and had no idea that there was a name for more slowly, (and sometimes realistically, at least time-wise) developed relationships, and that's what I've always intended this story to be. My apologies to those who find the relationship growth a bit slow at points, but I want to write it so it seems real, and with two characters like Qrow and Winter, who are total opposites, they're not going to kiss, go on a date, and then get hitched willy-nilly. They're gonna fight, talk some, try to become friends, fight a whole lot more, and then ... who knows ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Finally, got another chapter in! Author note at bottom! (RWBY is not mine).**

 **...**

"Forgive me, but where exactly are we going?" Winter asked as she followed Sable through the main streets of Mistral. Unlike Vale, she had rarely ever visited the continent of Anima or its kingdom. The large city reminded her a bit of Atlas in terms of the amount of people, though Mistral was fashioned in the style of old cultures, unlike Atlas' technological buildings. Sable led the way, looking rather indifferent, if not annoyed, at every pedestrian they passed, though her walk conveyed confidence.

"To the Kaigi Center," Sable said. "It's where the Mistral Council members meet." She cast a sidelong glance at Winter. "You know, they probably won't trust you ...us."

"I know."

"And there's no guarantee they'll even listen to us."

"I understand,' Winter said solemnly. Sable stopped mid-walk.

"Then why go to all this trouble?" she asked. Winter glanced at her, raising her eyebrows.

"Why are you so surprised? You're a Maiden. Your duty is to fight for the good of Remnant." Sable's lip curled slightly, and she started walking again.

"It's a duty, not my life." She didn't make eye contact as she added on," Didn't you ever think about how most Maidens don't ask for this kind of life? There's no glory or even acknowledgement, because we remain hidden, always on the move. It's rough. And that's putting it lightly." Winter frowned, unsure of what to say. Truth be told, having just learned about Maidens, she'd never thought of the fact that once, these girls had more normal lives. Now, they had to travel and stay alert every minute, making sure no one found out about their power.

"I'm sorry," Winter said, and it felt like the most genuine thing she had said to the other girl. "Not just for that, but for Amber too." Sable shrugged, still avoiding her gaze. A long pause of silence fell between them. Winter could hear the shouts of happy children from a nearby street, and the hum of pedestrian's conversations as they walked through Mistral. It was peaceful. These civilians had no idea what was going to occur.

"You tell me then," Sable suddenly piped up. "Since we're in a sharing mood, that is. Why hang out with a deadbeat like him?" Knowing she meant Qrow, Winter couldn't help but smile, imagining Qrow's scowl at a comment like that.

"It's complicated," she said formally.

"You guys have a history?" Sable questioned, now turning towards the other woman. Images of long past memories floated into Winter's mind. She shoved them down, doing her best not to think of them.

"I hardly see how that matters." Winter glanced at Sable, who was knowingly smirking at her. "I can assure you, whatever you are imagining is wrong." The Maiden snorted.

"Sure."

"He doesn't agree with anything Atlas does. Our advancements in technology and our more strict government and schooling system are not up to his standards, to say the least." _I became a Specialist, Atlas' own personalized Huntress for the military. A position of high prestige, but I got nothing but contempt from Qrow._

"Don't worry, it isn't just Qrow, everyone thinks that." Sable snickered at Winter's expression as she whipped her head to glare at the Maiden. She felt a brief flare of annoyance at Sable's usual blunt attitude, but her thoughts almost immediately went back to her previous reflection. _A lot has changed in these past weeks. I can actually hold a half decent conversation with Qrow now. We're more of a … team._ Winter found herself a bit perplexed by the thought. Specialists didn't have the four-person teams or two-person partnerships like the Hunters-in-training of the other Academies. They trained amongst groups, some trainees leaving or being kicked out before finishing the program if they didn't show promise. The Atlesian Specialists were sometimes put into teams for recon missions or battles where the General decided it was necessary, but other than that, Specialists were exactly what the name suggested; special military members trained as Hunters. Winter smiled absentmindedly, remembering when Qrow had accused her in Beacon's courtyard of thinking she was so special. _It's in the title,_ she had said. It felt like years had passed since she'd been in Atlas, with the rest of the army. She didn't quite feel like a Specialist anymore.

"Yo! Hello?" Sable's fingers snapped right in front of her face, startling her. The Maiden gave her a questioning look. "Hey, daydreamer. We've arrived." Winter glanced up, staring at the building before her. The Kaigi Center was the tallest building within a couple miles, with gleaming white sides and a pagoda style roof. Already, guards had stationed themselves along the perimeter. Many of the passerby stared and gawked as they walked by, but everyone stayed well away from the building. Sable, however, strutted up the steps like she lived at the Center. She took no more than a few steps down the walkway to the door, when both guards along the side held up their guns, aimed perfectly at the Maiden.

"Freeze!" one yelled. Sable did as commanded, raising an eyebrow.

"You cannot go further!" the second guard informed them. Sable shook her head, black curls swishing around her face.

"We need to talk to the Council," she said in a bored tone, and Winter nearly groaned in frustration. How were they going to get any closer if Sable acted like an immature teenager?! The guards lowered their weapons a few inches, but did not return them to their holster. Though they seemed to realize, however naively, that the girl before them was no threat, something still had them riled.

"Of course you would, ma'am," one said in a placating voice. He cast a glance at his partner as if to say, ' _Look, another one of these.'_

"We're sorry to inform you, but unless you are a high-ranking government official or Hunter with an appointment, the Council will not see you. This building is off limits to pedestrians." The second guard narrowed his eyes, looking them over. Only then did Winter realize they had made it too obvious they were visitors. No one else was walking into the building, except other guards. Any Mistral native would have known that the Kaigi Center was closed off.

Winter stepped forward. "Please. I'm from the Atlesian army. I've come here under peaceful terms, and though I understand the wariness with which the Council may treat me, I do need to speak with them urgently. It's in regards to the security of the entire kingdom." She turned her gaze to the other guard, near pleading. Embarassing as it was, she had not travelled halfway across a kingdom to be rejected and ignored.

The two guards glanced at each other, shifting uncomfortably. Clearly they were unsure of what to do. They began to whisper to each other, discussing in low tones what to do with Winter.

"Excuse me? Is there an issue?" A high-pitched voice made the two guards turn to face the young woman walking up to them. She wore a similar uniform, though more for official business than any form of combat. Her brown hair was piled on top of her head in a strange, yet formal, updo, and her dark brown eyes were lined with a dusky black kohl.

"Ma'am, there seems to be an Atlesian soldier who wants to speak with the Council…?" The guard trailed off as the women stepped forward, surveying the two newcomers. She glanced over Sable with an interested look in her eye, but when she got to Winter, her mouth began to curl in a smile. Winter blinked. Had she seen this woman on her Scroll, or during a mission? Something about her was familiar. She began running through the names of Mistral dignitaries in her head, but couldn't match the names to the woman before her.

"I'll bring them in. I'm sure some of the Councilmen would like to know why one of Atlas' soldiers is outside their gates," the female officer said. She waved a hand at her two coworkers. "Return to your stations. I'll take care of this." She inclined her head to Sable and Winter. "You two will come with me." Sable wrinkled her nose, but followed obediently, Winter at her side.

 _This is it,_ Winter thought as the large doors to the tower opened. The lobby area was all grey, with ancient works of art hanging from the walls and towering plants at each corner. Beautiful as it was, it was cold and empty, no sign of life.

"Where is everybody?" Sable asked suspiciously. The officer turned, flashing a small smile.

"I'm not technically allowed to say, but the Council is underground. Quite literally. The meeting rooms used to be in the tower. CCT signals could reach it more easily, and the tower was originally designed to overlook most of the city. After the attack on Vale though, the Council feared their own tower might be attacked, and that any technology they borrowed from Atlas could be turned against them. So they set up an underground meeting area."

"That's so-," Winter began.

"Secure?" The officer guessed.

"Sad," Winter finished. The guardswoman shrugged.

"It was your army that made this happen. They reacted in kind, to protect themselves and this city."

"It wasn't her army. _She_ didn't send robots after you," Sable said, annoyed. Winter felt a touch of gratitude, that this hardened woman who barely spoke a kind word about her or Qrow now defended her. The officer glanced at the two, then shrugged again, before leading them to an elevator. As they piled in, the officer hit the button labeled B3. _3 levels below the surface,_ Winter noted. _Should we need a quick exit out of here, it won't be easy._ The elevator slowed and stopped with a jerk, sending them all forward. The officer reached for the button that would open the door, then paused.

"You should be warned, they will not take you well," she said, before dropping her tone. "There's no going back after this."

"We understand. Now let us in to speak to these idiots," Sable scoffed, breezing past the officer and pushing the open button. A long room with a near equally long table was before them, and at designated seats surrounding the table were council members. They all looked up, surprise quickly turning into anger.

"Who are you? You're not allowed here, it's strictly off limits!" One man shouted.

"We will have security escort you out!" One of the women added. Each member began speaking over another, faces flushed. Winter pushed her way into the room so she stood by Sable.

"Wait, please!" she cried. "We came here because your city and kingdom are in danger!" The outraged cries abruptly stopped, but quickly murmurs began to rise around them. Winter continued, knowing this might be her only chance. "Please, I came a long way. I have seen the aftermath of Beacon, and I have a story to share, if you will listen." Before she could continue, one of the councilmen stood up, pointing a thin, bony finger at her.

"I know you," he said, and indeed, Winter vaguely remembered him from a meeting with the General. "You are a member of the Atlesian army." Immediately, every eye turned to her, staring. "You are Winter Schnee." As if the announcement of her heritage and military status was not enough, her last name sent some of the councilmen and women recoiling away from her. Winter tried to keep a frown off her face, tried to rein in the remarks and slightly wounded pride at their hypocritical actions. _My father may be horrible, the company may be corrupt, but you don't seem to care when you all buy up his Dust for your weapons and machines!_

"That is true," Winter said, holding her head a bit higher. "Trust me when I say, I have no connection to my father or his company, and I'm not here because of Dust. I'm here as a member of the Atlesian Specialists, to offer terms of peace." The older man, the same one who had known her name, scoffed.

"Will you offer to defend us?" he asked sharply. "We know how that will turn out, as I'm sure you offered Beacon the same. Unless you forced your way into Vale."

"If I had the time, I would stand here all day and tell you the same thing over and over, that we were asked by the Vale Council to watch over the Festival, that a group of insurgents took control over our airships and robots." Winter stared coldly at the man, her face a mask of indifference. "But I don't have the time. You can think whatever you want to about me. But I'm here to help you. If you don't trust me in particular, well, the feeling is mutual, I can assure you. But please take my action of coming here alone with no guard as an offer of peace and help."

"No guard? But who is this?" One woman asked, gesturing at Sable, who stood stiffly by Winter.

"I," Sable began," am the force that has helped to keep this world safe from what she is _trying_ to tell you about. And I didn't come here to see you treat us like pieces of shit." Sable bared her teeth, glaring at the Council before her. A couple of the officials glanced at each other nervously.

"We cannot just accept this," one stammered nervously. "You've burst into the middle of our meeting. There are protocols-,"

"To hell with your damn protocols!" Sable snarled.

"Sir, I can promise you, the fate of your kingdom is more important," Winter added more calmly. Sable's fingers twitched at her side, her eyes darting from person to person. She looked a breath away from just straight up attacking them. The guard who had brought them here had fallen silent by the door of the elevator.

"I will listen to your explanation." A younger woman stood up, dark eyes gleaming. "But make it quick, direct, and to the point. Should this be any kind of attack or prank, you will be dealt with swiftly and severely." Winter almost smiled at that. This woman would have been wonderful in the Atlesian military.

"The same people who attacked Beacon and hacked into Atlas' airships and robots are in Mistral, planning another attack. We have reason to believe they've already infiltrated Haven and will launch a similar attack within a week tops," Winter said in a low tone. The council member sglanced at each other, murmuring in low tones. Fortunately, none laughed or dismissed Winter's declaration immediately. A few even looked like they were considering its value, the possibility that it could be true.

"What proof," the young councilwoman asked slowly, "do you have of this claim?" Winter paused, sliding her gaze to Sable. The Maiden's mouth curled upwards into a small smirk, and she took a few steps forward, holding up a hand before her face.

Then her hand erupted into flames.

 **XXX**

Qrow was doing his best to find the White Fang. He was moving as quickly as he possibly could, while trying to look nonchalant and calm. Mistral's capitol was huge, and members of the White Fang were probably so deeply ingrained in the city that they were spread out throughout its entirety. He had checked the warehouse where he and Winter had first found some of the White Fang meeting, but there was nobody there. He was wracking his brain for ideas on how to draw the White Fang out, but they were an underground organization, adept at hiding their meetings and plans. It was only him out looking; when he had returned to the apartment, he had asked Beth to stay, telling her it would be safer for her, and unnecessary for her to join him as he could search the city perfectly fine by himself. So the Spring Maiden reluctantly agreed, staying at the apartment until Qrow gave her the signal. This, all after tracking down his niece and her ragtag group of friends and giving them their own mission.

Winter was going to kill him.

But in all truth, he hadn't wanted to tell her for fear of failing and disappointing her. He wasn't sure Ruby could complete what he had asked of her. Back when he had told her about her heritage and abilities, she had jumped at the chance to help without even asking who, what, where, when or why. She had the heart of a Huntress, but lacked practical thinking and experience. As for Beth, he didn't want to come face to face with the White Fang and have Beth get injured or killed. He could still remember Amber's scarred face, the color fading from her as Cinder sucked the power out of her. He remembered running as fast as he could, and it still had not been enough. He'd severed the connection as quickly as possible, quickly grabbing the Maiden and leaping away, but it was all too late. Amber had slipped into a coma, their enemies had fled and managed to avoid showing their faces, and Qrow had to take the comatose Maiden back to Vale and explain to the Brotherhood that the world was one Maiden short.

Qrow ducked into an alley, glancing around to make sure no one was in sight, then took to the skies. He scanned the ground for anything out of the ordinary, diving for a closer look at any large crowd or Faunus. Nothing proved to be of any use.

So he resorted to his habitual technique.

He found the nearest bar, and ordered a drink.

He clutched the glass in his hand, taking a long drink, doing his best to keep his posture nonchalant. The barkeeper gave him half a smile, washing down a used glass.

"New to Mistral?" he asked. Qrow raised an eyebrow, and the barkeeper held up his hand. "Hey, nothing against it, don't worry. Got nothing against honest visitors, especially ones keeping on the down low." Qrow grunted.

"Thanks," he grumbled.

"Well, it's a pretty crazy world out there now," the barkeeper said with a laugh, picking up another dirty glass. "There's a lot of paranoia and chaos going around. Makes some people go a little crazy."

 _You have no idea,_ Qrow thought.

"I'm just glad that this kingdom seems somewhat peaceful," Qrow said, then a lightbulb lit in his head. He grimaced up at the bartender. "I fled from Vale after the attack. Looking for a new place to live for awhile." His lie had the expected reaction; the bartender's eyes widening, and his joking expression immediately transformed into one of pity.

"Gee, I'm sorry to hear that! Boy, you've been through hell. A lot of people are so busy hating Atlas that they forget the people of Vale are still picking up their lives."

"Yeah, well, I heard Atlas got screwed over just as much as us," Qrow said carefully. He would have to play this right, without sounding like like an Atlas sympathizer or traitor. Lowering his voice, he add, "The White Fang was just as bad, if not worse. They were the ones who burnt down my business, attacked my family." More lies, with just a dash of truth in them. He was used to it by now, the lies and the secrets.

"That so? I'd heard bits about the White Fang here and there, but as you probably know, CCT's been down for over a month now. We get our information by word of mouth now." The barkeep laughed, though it sounded a bit cautious now, a little less jovial.

"Not that I want any trouble, believe me," Qrow said with a lazy smile, "but you haven't happened to have trouble with them recently, have you?" He held his hands up, trying to seem peaceful, if not naive. "Not that I think there would be, but I'd rather be sure I find a more low-key, relaxing place to live." The bartender nodded, eating up the story.

"No worries, I get what you mean! Nowadays, that's all anyone wants." He nodded to himself, then his eyes grew serious and he leaned over the counter, lowering his tone. "We're careful around here, because we'll get a few members now and then frequenting the bar, hanging around the neighborhood. It's worse at my friend's place, the Rusty Roost. They've had some … rowdy fellows trash the place a couple time." He shrugged, standing up straight once again. "No one says much though. Keep quiet, it all goes away eventually." Qrow bit back a retort, wanting to snap at the man that letting a group of vigilantes walk over you wouldn't amount to peace. But he held his tongue.

"So, if I wanted to avoid the White Fang, that's a place I shouldn't really head to then, right?"

After some more careful prying, Qrow managed to get the address of the bar. He made it there in barely half an hour. At this point, his muscles were tensing, ready for a fight. He nearly slammed the door to the bar open, stumbling in. With nothing left in him to be polite or cautious, he slurred out the question of where any White Fang members would be. No reactions initially, as expected. So Qrow threw out his most creative insults, most he would have felt ashamed saying under normal circumstances, but he was fast running out of time and patience.

Thankfully, a few idiotic White Fang members were actually in the bar, and rose to the occasion. One, a young man with red hair and large cat ears, lurched to his feet, rushing at Qrow. Qrow grinned, and just as the young man reached him, spun around, grabbing hold of the Faunus' collar. He pulled the boy forward, spinning him and throwing him to the ground.

"Good," he said, looking down at the boy, hands shoved in his pockets. "I was hoping one of you would show yourselves." The young man hissed at him, attempting to stand up, but Qrow shoved him back down with his foot. "Now, I ain't got all day, so if you could just answer a few questions about the White Fang, that'd be great."

"Hey!" Qrow glanced up. Two other Faunus had risen to their feet, practically spitting with anger. A young woman with a long, thin white tail, and another man with scales covering his cheeks. Qrow grinned, waving at them. The girl took a step forward, face flushed in anger.

"Hey! Take it outside!" the bartender yelled. Qrow smiled, shrugging.

"Works for me! How about you?" he asked the boy on the ground. Without waiting for an answer, he hauled the boy to his feet, practically dragging him into the street before throwing him back down onto the sidewalk.

"Roy!" the girl cried, running for Qrow. She skidded to a stop as Qrow pulled his scythe out, still in sword form. The other Faunus behind her froze, hand going to his side pocket. Reaching for a weapon, no doubt.

"I'm not playing games here," Qrow growled, levelling the point of the sword at the Faunus, Roy, still on the ground. "Now, you need to tell me - where is the rest of the White Fang?" The girl laughed.

"All over Remnant, moron," she said with a sneer. Qrow just rolled his eyes.

"In this city. There's got to be a base, or an area where your higher-ups hang around."

"Why should we tell you?" Roy croaked from his spot on the ground, red ears twitching.

"Aside from the fact I've got a sword pointed at your throat?" Qrow raised an eyebrow. "I could take all 3 of you down, in maybe ten seconds flat. I could have you 3 arrested right here, right now."

"Wouldn't do you any good," the girl said.

"How terrible would it be if you all were to end up in prison, unable to fight for ...whatever it is you fight for nowadays."

"Asshole!" the girl hissed. Qrow glanced at her, a small smirk on his lips.

"Yep. And you're not gonna get rid of me until you tell me what I want to know." He leaned down closer to the Faunus boy on the ground. "See, I'm a professor from Vale, with quite a few connections here in Mistral. And since you guys helped tear up my kingdom, I'm not in the best of moods when it comes to terrorist organizations." Roy's eyes narrowed, but Qrow could make out the furrowed brows and sweaty forehead. This kid was scared, either of him or what the White Fang might do to him.

"The White Fang eliminates traitors," the older man said, stepping forward. "If we even wanted to tell you, it would risk our lives."

"That sounds like something a person might say if they did, in fact, want an out from the White Fang," Qrow commented. The man said nothing, just held his gaze in silence.

"You've got nothing to offer us," the girl snapped. "And unless you do want to fight, you've got nothing to threaten us with either."

"Jail time sure doesn't scare you, does it," Qrow muttered. The Faunus girl's mouth twitch, half-forming a smile. This girl … she knew something. "What aren't you saying?" She raised her eyebrows, fluttering her lashes.

"Pardon?"

"You're keeping secrets." Qrow narrowed his eyes, wracking his brain for ideas. "The White Fang, they're planning something?"

"The White Fang is always planning something," the girl said solemnly. "We have a long way to fight before we gain true-,"

"Yeah, yeah, cut the cult crap." Qrow's grip on his weapon tightened, and the point dipped closer to Roy's neck. "What are they planning in Mistral?" The girl crossed her arms, simply smirking.

"Wouldn't you-," she began.

"What would you do, if we told you?" the older Faunus asked. The girl spun around, eyes wide, tail fluffing up.

"Bayard!?" she hissed. Qrow gazed at the man before him.

"I want to make sure the people of this city don't suffer like my friends and family did," he said quietly. "I agree, you deserve more than the shit you've been through. But attacking a city filled with innocent people will do nothing but turn everyone against you." Bayard looked contemplative, tearing his gaze away to stare at the ground for a few moments.

"I agree," he said finally. "I first joined when we were still a peaceful, nonviolent organization. When our previous leader stepped down, things just got worse. Faunus kept fighting and encouraging violent riots to the point where no one even trusted us anymore. I miss the peace."

"You tell him anything, you're dead!" the girl hissed. Bayard didn't even glance her way.

"Will you still fight me?" Bayard asked, smiling softly.

"No," Qrow said. "I'll help you get out of here, if you need."

"What about them?" The Faunus man nodded at the girl and Roy. Qrow gritted his teeth. Personally, the last thing he needed was to let them run off and tell every White Fang member that a Hunter had been snooping around. But he had to make sure Bayard would help him.

"I won't hurt them," Qrow promised. Bayard looked fairly relieved at that, though his companions were almost spitting in fury.

"You bastard! Traitor!" the girl snarled.

"The White Fang has infiltrated the police around here," Bayard explained. _The police won't do any good._ Damn, how the hell had they infiltrated the Mistral police force?! "Guards, officers, any kind of position like that. They aren't all White Fang, obviously, but chances are you find any police officer, there's a member nearby."

"How the hell has this happened in just a month?" Qrow asked incredously. Bayard's brows furrowed.

"It hasn't just been a month. The White Fang has a partner we've been working with for about a year, maybe longer. This operation has been going on for months. Vale was the surprise attack. They attack out in the open, make it obvious to everyone, then act like it was a splinter cell acting on their own. Meanwhile, the Faunus hidden in Mistral continue to work their way up the chain. Until they reach the top." Bayard raised his hand above his head to symbolize his statement.

"What's the top?" Qrow asked, and before Bayard even answered, he felt that sinking feeling in his chest, like an ominous premonition.

"The council. Haven is going to be taken down too, but the partner's are mainly working with that, and Lionheart. The White Fang will start at the council, and the rest will topple like dominoes." The Faunus girl lunged forward, whipping a dagger out of her belt sheath and slicing through the air manically. Qrow leapt after her, jumping in front of Bayard and pushing the girl back with his sword. She flew against the nearby wall, crumpling to the ground with a groan. Roy began to scramble to his feet, shaking the girl Faunus and crying out, but before he could so much as turn around, Qrow slammed the blunt hilt of the sword against the boy's head. His eyes rolled back, and he fell back, slumping beside his friend.

"You know, you _just_ promised you wouldn't hurt them," Bayard said, his tone disapproving.

"They'll be fine, and back to the White Fang before the day is over," Qrow said through gritted teeth. Bayard stared at him for a moment longer, then shrugged. He turned away.

"Thank you for this. But anyways, I need to be heading out." He laughed bitterly. "I'll be on the White Fang's most wanted if I stay here." Qrow nodded, and began to walk himself when something hit him.

"Wait, what is the White Fang planning with the council?" Qrow asked hurriedly, already beginning to understand. Bayard glanced back.

"The White Fang is going to take down the Mistral council. They've been working at infiltrating the guards that watch the council and Tower for months. They've been keeping track of each member for awhile now, and soon they're going to destroy them, if they can," Bayard explained. Qrow froze, his blood chilling.

 _The Council._

 _Winter._

 **XXX**

"You don't need Dust of any kind?" The young councilwoman gestured at Sable, who had her arms crossed and was warily eyeing the council. "The power is … within you?"

"It's a part of me, more of less," Sable said, not looking the most comfortable. "I think it has something to do with my Aura."

"Amazing!" One council member whispered.

"Atlas knew?" An older woman looked sharply at Winter. The Specialist was standing by Sable, arms behind her back, looking as professional as usual.

"General Ironwood knew," Winter admitted. "He was one of the few people trusted, along with Professor Ozpin of Beacon."

"Don't blame any of them," Sable put in. "Maidens have been around for centuries. We were hidden because too many people sought our powers." Her gaze darkened, and Winter knew she was thinking of Amber. Somehow, Cinder Fall had known what Amber was, and stolen her power.

"Did Headmaster Lionheart know as well?"

"Yes. The headmasters of each upper level academy know, so that there is someone in each kingdom with the power to protect the Maidens. They're vowed to keep it a secret though," Winter explained.

"I don't like that this secret has apparently been kept from the councils," one councilman put in. "Especially given the councils have the power to place Maidens under guarded protection."

"Maybe that's why," Sable snapped. "The Maidens don't need to be watched and guarded. We travel around the world to help people, and your 'guarded protection' would do nothing but prevent us from our duty."

"I was only recently allowed to learn about the Maidens, but I can assure you, what I've witnessed and learned suggests the Maidens are much safer with most people, including the councils, unaware of their existence." Winter met each of the council member's gaze, holding her chin high. "We've decided now that you need to know, so that you understand we're telling the truth." The councilmen and women murmured to each other, sharing nervous and concerned glances. Already, Winter had filled them in on the details of Vale's fall and how she had run into the White Fang in an abandoned warehouse in Mistral.

"Then if what you say is true, we need to act as soon as possible," one councilwoman said. Her uniform was adorned with medals and pins, and epaulets lined the shoulders. Perhaps she was the one who ran Mistral's military. "We should take evasive measures immediately. We could have the army and police do sweeps of the city, and order a lockdown. If we deem it too dangerous, we can evacuate." She circled a spot on a map in the center of the table, already mulling over possible escape routes.

"We might not have the time for any of that!" the older man said, shaking his head. "Besides, we don't want to cause a panic."

"We're not going to be the next Vale!" the military leader snapped back. "At the very least, we should inform the citizens of the problem and alert them to the possibility of an attack by the White Fang."

"Anything you need help with-," Winter began, but then she stopped. Someone had slid behind her, their body nearly pressed against her own, and the cool edge of a blade hovered not even an inch from her throat. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but words were lost to her. She could barely croak out a plea for help.

"See, I can't let you do that," a sweet voice purred by her ear, loud enough that the council and Sable turned towards her, immediately shouting and leaping back. Sable stood frozen, flames beginning to spark at her fingers. "I don't think so. Flames away, witch. If you want your friend to leave here with an unslit throat, put the sparks away." The flames died immediately, but Sable's eyes still held a faint glow to them, her anger clear. And Winter realized two things then. One, the person behind her was the guard who had led them down there. Second, Winter now understood why she had found the guard so familiar. She had heard this taunting, sweet voice before, seen that light brown hair, pulled into pigtails that revealed her revealing trait, those tan dog ears nearly hidden in her hair.

"You guys have gone too far," Senka said, laughing in that haunting high-pitched tone. "I can't let you ruin everything the White Fang has planned."

 **...**

 **Well, it has certainly been too long, but inspiration has been hard to come by, and my life was busier than I had planned for. But, here it is! Another chapter! I hope you all enjoy reading it. I always appreciate comments and feedback!**

 **Also, as another important note, the Relics from the RWBY canon (Volume 4) are not a part of this either. Salem has different goals and plans.**

 **reestanf and longlivetheprincess: Thank you! I'm glad you like it! It means a lot to me!**

 **NinaVale: I do agree a bit on the Oscar front, which is part of the reason I decided not to include the character (no, Ozpin's "fate" is much different). He was kind of interesting, but not enough to really hold my attention, and we still have no reason for why it happened, or why Oscar needs to head to Mistral. There just seems like too much there, and not enough to really keep my attention.**

 **A Dusty Old Qrow: I can't thank you enough for your awesome feedback and in-depth analysis of the story so far and the characters' roles! I'm glad you like the story so far, and thank you for the compliment! I do love writing, and I've been doing it for a few years now, but I still have a lot to learn, and I'm always trying to make progress. The next few chapters should be jam packed with stuff, including good Qrow (and Winter, of course) moments, so I hope you'll enjoy!**


	14. Chapter 14

**New chapter! Author note below as usual! (I do not own RWBY)**

 **XXX**

"So, what to do with you?" Senka strutted around Winter, keeping her dagger hovering by the Specialist's neck. While Senka had revealed herself to the council and Winter, the elevator had opened up, allowing 10 guards to run in, each positioning themselves behind one of the council members except for two who flanked Sable, their guns pointed directly at her heart. Her mouth was set in a snarl, and though her hands were cuffed and there was no power sparking at her fingers, Winter could see the urge in the Maiden's eyes to just melt the White Fang soldiers where they stood.

"What do you want?" Winter asked evenly, casually pushing against her own cuffs. Even the council members had been cuffed, and Winter wondered how many could actually fight or had been trained as Hunters. The cuffs could only do so much to hinder someone; there was no known way to shut off a person's Semblance, and Winter had almost used her own, imagining a single, giant glyph covering the whole floor. But before she had mustered the strength, Senka had pulled out a small box, a red light flashing at the top. Winter stiffened, her entire body tensing.

"Do you know what this is?" Senka cooed. Winter nodded slowly, hating everything about the woman before her. "Good. If you don't behave, and try to attack even one of us, this bomb goes off. The council members die tragically, and the symbol of Mistral's unified government ends up a pile of crumbling dust. Wouldn't that be terrible?"

"Horrible," Winter hissed through clenched teeth. Senka smiled.

"Good. Then I think we understand each other."

"What are you planning to do here?" Winter demanded. Senka rolled her eyes.

"Really? Atlas military tactics? Get me talking, assess the right way to get everyone to safety, blah blah blah." Senka gave her a contemptuous look. "You can't get me talking like some amateur, egocentric, common-day criminal. Which brings me to my real purpose here." She nodded at the other White Fang members. "Kill the Council members." They nodded, raising their weapons; some had swords, some had guns, each one had some kind of weapon that would no doubt create a bloodbath.

"No!" Winter yelled angrily, stepping forward and grabbing Senka's arm, pulling her close enough to feel her breath. She didn't know what she could or should do, just that she had to stop this insane terrorist from tumbling another kingdom's government. The Faunus girl looked up at her, eyes wide. Her smile wavered, and Winter could see a glimmer of fear in her eyes. She glanced to Senka's hand, and the Faunus slowly raised her arm, her thumb hovering over the button on what Winter assumed was some kind of mini-bomb or grenade. No doubt it was powerful enough to take down everyone in the room, if not the entire tower.

"It seems we've reached an impasse of sorts," Senka said sweetly. The White Fang members had frozen, looking unsure of whether they should comply with their previous orders, or rush to their companion's side. The council members looked frightened, recoiling away from the White Fang members. "If you're smart though, you'll let me go." Winter narrowed her eyes.

"Even if you kill us, the Mistral military will come after you with all its strength." The female council member, the one dressed in military garb, glared over at Senka, holding her head high.

"That's cute that you think that. But how will they know it was us?" Senka cocked her head to the side. "We're willing to give our lives for the cause. And when this building falls, we're going to be nothing more than dust." Another taunting smile. "They can't identify us if there are no bodies. And military? Really? Your military won't know what happened, won't have half the technology they once did, since most Atlas technology was disposed of, and they're nothing compared to the Atlesian military. You're scrambling for something to hope for, but you've got nothing." The councilwoman looked aghast, and Winter was sure her own face mirrored the councilwoman. Senka nodded at her comrades again. "Continue."

"Stop, please!" Winter faced Senka, outraged and panicked at the same time. "What do you want? We'll give it to you!" Senka eyed her thoughtfully for a moment.

"Would you sell the secrets of the Atlas military? Help us topple Atlas' government?" Her gaze hardened, and her expression became darker. "Can you offer us freedom." It wasn't phrased like a question, but a blunt statement with little hope in it. Winter held her gaze, but inside, she felt the hopelessness of the situation. She was not going to be able to convince this woman. But she had to. She could not fail her task.

"Killing these people won't prove anything to the world, except that you are indeed violent and worthy of poor treatment," Winter said harshly, hoping that something, anything she said might strike a chord within the woman before her. "If you let them live, you will still have leverage. You don't need them dead." Senka's eyes twinkled, and she furrowed her brows, clearly thinking it over. Winter could tell the idea struck her as having merit, and pressed on. "You'd still have the chance to choose for yourself. Whether you hold them hostage for your own will, or let them go, you have a better chance to fight for your rights than just outright killing them." Senka nodded slowly, her heavy lidded eyes half closed, almost as if she was falling asleep. Winter kept completely still, knowing Senka's reflexes were as quick as her own, if not faster. Seconds passed, and Senka swayed on her feet, hand still firm on the dagger pointed at Winter's throat. For a few moments, she looked like a child, teasing the other kids and pretending to take a long time in debating a meaningless argument. Her eyes fluttered open, lips pulling into a smile, hips still swaying. Winter felt relief fill her body.

Then Senka raised her hands.

And the White Fang members raised their weapons.

What followed could only be described as brutal carnage.

Winter had been in battles, fought the Grimm, evacuated towns that had been attacked. She'd even seen the aftermath of the attack on Vale, with the buildings burning and screaming citizens being packed off into airships. She had seen criminals imprisoned, people killed, and soldiers lost. And yet, she had not seen the premeditated murder that made the killing twice as cold and three times as horrifying.

Winter's mouth had fallen open in a horrified, silent scream, trying to lunge forward, but Senka spun around, making a loud screeching sound that barely passed as a laugh, and swung a fist right into Winter's abdomen. Her breath whooshed out of her, and she doubled over, falling to her knees. Senka grabbed her shoulders, forcing her down by yanking on her cuffed hands.

"Do you think I would listen to you, _Schnee_?" Senka scoffed, disgusted. "No true Faunus in their right mind would trust you." She leaned down close to her ear. "I do hope I leave here in one piece. So the rest of the White Fang can know who you are. _A Schnee._ You won't be safe again."

"Don't!" Winter rasped, trying to suck back in gulps of air, but it was too late. The White Fang members shot and hacked away at the council members, and even the sounds of Dust rounds ringing out could not cover the screams of the councilmen and women. The massacre would not be quick either; every council member had their complete Aura. Winter felt locked in place, unable to tear her eyes away. She caught the eye of the younger councilwoman for a split moment, seeing her try to mouth something, her sad eyes crinkling as tears formed, then widening in terror as a bullet hit her back, her body twisting and falling to the ground in a jumbled heap. Her tightly coiled bun had come undone, her tangled ponytail spilling onto the floor around her. Winter sucked in a breath, staring at the fallen woman.

"Keep watching." Winter heard Senka's too sweet voice float in from above her. "This is the beginning of Mistral's fall." Winter's arms began to shake, and anger boiled up inside of her. The ground beneath her shook, and Senka looked down at her, frowning. "What are you doing?" The floor began to shine, and the Schnee snowflake appeared beneath Senka and Winter. Senka snarled.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! I'll blow this place with you in it!" Winter tried to turn her head, but given her awkward position, she couldn't see Senka's face.

"If it stops you, I don't care. It will be worth it," she said coldly. The glyph shone a pale blue, getting brighter by the second. Senka pulled out the grenade in her hand. Just as she pressed her thumb down, something snatched up Winter, grabbing her around the waist and flying her into the elevator. Sable. The Maiden dropped her unceremoniously on the ground, before turning around, already in a protective, fighting stance. Sable smashed two of the buttons on the wall, and the elevator doors began to close just as Senka's thumb hit the detonator. Winter struggled to pull herself into a sitting position, glancing back into the council room one last time. The floor was littered with fallen bodies, and Senka laughed again. White light exploded out from her filling the room, as the door closed in front of them.

"NO!" Winter yelled, just as the elevator began to shake. The ceiling started to crumble around them, bits of cement and debris falling like rain.

"Hang on!" Sable shouted, and began moving her hands in front of her, making quick circular motions. A wall of air began to surround them, sending the crumbling bits of wall away from them. "Okay, I'm going to get us out of here. Stay still, and don't freak out!" Winter wasn't sure she could feel anything other than numb shock, but she obeyed as Sable grabbed her by the shoulders, linking arms with her and shooting upwards through the roof of the elevator, a twister of flames and wind propelling them higher and higher. Winter's head snapped down, the force pressing on down on her like a ton of rocks. She groaned, shuffling awkwardly. Sable shifted, still holding onto Winter, and flew them higher, the walls around them caving in. "Almost there!" Sable yelled. Winter couldn't even bob her head yes, just hung on to the Maiden like a life preserver, watching the elevator disappear beneath a pile of wrecked wall. Winter felt Sable move a hand, holding it out before her and firing a blast of fire. Rocks fell around them, pelting Winter from above, before a flash of light and smoke filled the air completely, and Winter felt herself flying through the air, no longer holding onto Sable, flying like a shooting star, trailing embers and smoke and stone. She stayed in the air for a few seconds, though it felt like an hour. She squeezed her eyes shut, reaching for her weapon, which had luckily stayed at her side, but before she could summon a glyph or barrier of ice, her back hit the ground hard, and she skidded across cement, ripping her coat and cutting her flesh. She gasped, blearily opening her eyes, but all she could see was fire and dust as the blurry silhouette of the Kaigi Tower fell, crumbling to the ground.

 **XXX**

Qrow huffed, panting hard as he raced through the streets of Mistral. He had been worried the moment he found out that the White Fang was going after the Council.

And then, as he had been racing through the city, he had seen the Kaigi Center fall.

And his worry had skyrocketed into panic.

 _The Council._

 _Winter._

 _The Council. Winter. The Council. Winter._

His mind was an absolute mess. It was happening again, just like Vale and Beacon. Really, he should have seen this coming. Then, he had been working alongside Ozpin, Jimmy, and Glynda, and they had all known about the Maidens and the infiltrator. They had been working together to stop Cinder and Salem, and Cinder was still able to sneak in and prime Vale for invasion. They had suspected the White Fang, but done nothing. Ozpin was too peaceful sometimes, but Jimmy always took things too far. He always thought a show of power was best, that his army could solve everything. At least he hadn't seen any Grimm in Mistral's city. Not yet anyway. And if Ruby managed to succeed, hopefully there wouldn't be any Grimm.

He hadn't seen many people on his way to the Tower, which was a good sign. He felt a flicker of hope rise in him, and he mentally listed off some pros of the situation. _More people are aware of the White Fang and Cinder's goons, who toppled Vale. Check. I have a trained Specialist and two Maidens on my side. Check. I haven't seen a single Grimm yet. Check._

It wasn't much of a reassurance, but it kept him distracted. Until he turned another corner, and saw the rubble, and his mind went right back to where it had been before.

Winter.

 **XXX**

Everything was dust and smoke, in shades of brown and grey. A high ringing noise filled her ears, and Winter couldn't tell if it was in her head or something was actually ringing. She could have sworn she had heard a siren in the distance, but the thought of it escaped her as she tried to move and groaned loudly. Every muscle in her body ached, and her hands were still bound behind her, making her unable to even attempt to lift the debris off of her. She tried blinking, but so much rubble was atop her, and so much dust and dirt clung to her lashes that she could see nothing. It hurt to even open her eyes, the pollution in the air making them burn and tear up. She shifted her legs, and felt rock move around her. It was strange; she felt both exhausted and hyped up, and she tried to push herself up, kicking her feet out. It barely did a thing, just moved more rock around.

Sable was somewhere too. She could be stuck in this pile of collapsed building. Winter opened her mouth, trying to turn her head.

"Sable?" she croaked. It was no good; she knew her voice couldn't carry far enough. It was barely more than a rasp, and her throat felt as dry as Vacuo's endless deserts. Winter laid her head back on the ground, falling still. The young council woman's face flashed in her mind, dull eyes peeking out from tangled hair, lying on the floor like a doll. _I failed. I was able to get through to them, and I still failed._ She felt shame course through her. The General would be so disappointed if he knew. She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing in a shaky breath.

 _Qrow_ , she thought desperately.

"Schnee?" someone shouted above her. No, it was far away. Or was it above? Winter moaned, twisting her head as if she could find the voice. Sable? Had she clawed her way out of the remains of the Tower? "Schnee!" Winter let out another moan.

"SCHNEE!" The rocks around her suddenly moved away, sending up another spray of dust. Winter coughed violently, choking on the dirt in the air. Firm hands suddenly grasped her shoulders, yanking her up, shaking her. She blinked her eyes, gulping in breaths of air and trying to make out her surroundings. Qrow was right in front of her, holding her in place and looking especially concerned. Through the confused haze of her mind, she wondered if he had somehow read her thoughts, and known she'd needed his help.

"Qrow," she rasped. The world blurred for a second. He leaned forward, wiping some of the grime from her face.

"Hang in there, okay Schnee?" he asked. He started to stand, pulling her with him.

"My arms," she said hoarsely, internally cringing. Her voice sounded like sandpaper, and she still felt like she could cough up a lung. Qrow glanced at her hands, seeing the cuffs binding them, and for the briefest moment, his eyes flashed with anger. Winter was sure she imagined it though, and in the next second Qrow was seated by her again, unsheathing his giant sword. With a clean swipe, he slashed through the cuffs, and they fell to the ground. Winter shook out her wrists, rubbing them softly. She immediately checked her belt, and breathed out a sigh of relief; she still had her sabre. She started to stand, still wobbly and dazed, leaning on Qrow as he offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. "Thank you, Qrow," she said genuinely. He nodded and grinned at her, though she noticed his eyes ran her over, as if afraid she might collapse in a heap again. "Qrow, the Tower-," she began.

"The White Fang did it. Right?" Qrow's gaze didn't waver, and he almost looked sad.

"Yes. I don't even know how-," Winter shook her head, dust flying off her hair with each movement. She was sure she looked unrecognizable with soot and grime covering every inch of her. "The guard who took Sable and I in was the woman from the meeting we saw weeks ago, Senka. She had somehow been working there, long enough to gain the trust of the other guards. We were taken to the council, who was meeting in a room 3 stories underneath the Tower."

"How did you get out?" Qrow asked, his gaze beginning to dart around, keeping an eye out for anything suspect.

"Sable got us out just as the White Fang blew the whole place. They killed the Council," Winter explained, then stopped, eyes widening. "Sable! She's here somewhere! We both were blown away from each other as the Tower fell."

"We'll find her," Qrow said, grabbing a hold of her hand. "We should check through the rubble too. There could be survivors."

"I doubt it," Winter murmured dully. "The council was killed before Kaigi Center was even destroyed." Qrow froze, staring at her.

"They're really gone then?"

"Yes. The White Fang wasted very little time in disposing of them once Sable and I revealed why we were there. They threatened to set off a bomb if I or Sable tried to attack them, and I stupidly thought I could convince them otherwise. I was foolish, and the White Fang butchered the council members anyway."

"You did your best, Schnee." Qrow stuffed his hands in his pockets, gazing off into the distance. "They would have killed you too." Winter opened her mouth, then hesitated. She didn't know whether she should tell Qrow that she and Sable had indeed managed to get through to the council, only for the White Fang to kill each official moments later. Perhaps it was best to let it lie. It would do no good now. "Come on, we need to find Sable. I'm sure the real battle is coming." Winter nodded, stumbling after Qrow into the remains of the Tower. He waited for her, helping her loop an arm around his shoulders. "Schnee, are you sure-,"

"I'm fine, Qrow. Just a bit tired," she assured him, ready to add on a snarky remark, when something loud cut her off.

"I-i don't know if you can hear me, or will see this message. But … it's really important." Winter swung her head around, looking for the source of the booming voice. She glanced at Qrow's face, surprised to see a grin on it.

"What is that?" she asked. His grin grew wider, and he jerked his head up. Winter followed his gaze, her eyes falling on the shimmering wall of a skyscraper. The side seemed to be made out of some odd, reflective glass. She narrowed her eyes.

No, no it wasn't shimmering glass. It was different panels of screen, to make a televised billboard it seemed. The panels flickered again, and an image of a young girl popped on the screen. _Ruby Rose,_ Winter thought incredulously. The girl looked nervous, even scared perhaps, but when she stared out from the screen, her eyes were filled with determination.

"Please stop what you're doing and listen. My name is Ruby, and I'm from Vale. I fought in the Battle of Beacon. I was there through the whole thing, and I saw everything. The White Fang attacked our school and all the people at the Vytal Festival. I know the rest of the world doesn't know what happened. They think it was only the White Fang, and that Atlas turned on us." Ruby shook her head, growing more energized. "The truth is, a girl named Cinder Fall snuck into Beacon as a Haven exchange student. She set up the attack, and …," Ruby briefly looked away, quickly wiping one of her eyes, before continuing, "and she killed two of my friends. She killed a lot of Atlas soldiers too. Atlas was trying to help us, but Cinder Fall used their soldiers against them, and us. Because of her, Vale is in ruins, and I lost my school."

"Qrow, did you know about this?" Winter asked him. He shrugged.

"You can't always rely on one way to get through to people, you know?" He said, still smirking like a smug cat.

"And I'm here to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to Haven. Those people, they're coming here next. And soon. They're already in the city, and the White Fang is here too. It would be in your best interest to evacuate as quickly as possible." Winter almost snorted, remembering her first meeting with Ruby Rose, and the awkwardness with which the girl had attempted to converse. She smiled softly. She had to admit, Ruby didn't trip over her words as much anymore. "Evacuate as quickly as possible, and get out of the city. Haven may be taken over too, so it would be in your best interest to try leaving for a further city. Take the airships and any shuttles to get out of the cities. Haven students will try to help you if possible." Ruby leaned forward, as if she was about to shut off whatever was allowing her to record the video, then bolted up again. "Oh! One more thing! Try your best to keep your emotions in check. Don't react too negatively. The Grimm attack on Vale was horrible, but hopefully we can prevent the same thing from happening here." Ruby smiled widely, and though the girl seemed nervous, her smile was genuine and hopeful. The screen flicked for a few moments, then went dark. A few more moments passed, and the screen flickered to life again, and Ruby's face popped back on, the message replaying over as Ruby again warned of the impending attack. Winter shook her head in disbelief.

"That's what you had to do before, wasn't it," Winter said. "Right before Sable and I left, and we discussed what our plan was, you left to go find Ruby, didn't you." She shook her head again, still dumbfounded. No wonder the whole area seemed empty. Ruby had managed to warn them in time - and the citizens of Mistral had actually listened. "How did you even find her? And how did you know she could do this?"

"I'm not _that_ horrible of an uncle, you know," Qrow said, still smiling triumphantly. "I do try to keep track of my nieces, and where they are now and then. Besides, I talked to Ruby awhile back. Before I left Patch. And she wanted to do something to help people and make sure what happened at Beacon didn't happen at Haven. And maybe to avenge her friends." He looked thoughtful at that. "She's a newbie, and lacks the cynicism that comes with the job, but I knew if I gave her a mission, she could do it."

"Hmm." Winter glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye. "A bit naive of her. Naive … but hopeful." Qrow scoffed.

"Yeah, somehow she's still a cheerful little pipsqueak, even after all the shit she's been through." His smile wavered, and his expression darkened.

"Come on, Qrow. Sable," she reminded him. He nodded, and the two trudged forward, through the ash of the Kaigi Tower. After walking no more than a few yards, Winter shrugged her arm off. "We may cover more ground if we choose separate sections to look through." Qrow nodded.

"Yeah, we need to find her as quick as possible. I'll take over here." He nodded his head at the huge section of broken wall chunks and glass behind him. He turned back to her, his eyes hard and mouth set in a grim line. "But if you run into trouble, you just yell or send a sign. Splitting up, even this close, is dangerous in a time like this."

"Likewise." Winter smiled, and unsheathed her sabre before beginning her search of the eastern side of wreckage.

Now that she had a good look at it, she could see the entire tower had fallen, and even the lobby area of the first floor had been decimated. The quaint gardens and pathways surrounding the Tower were gone, buried beneath mounds of cement and stone. The only thing that slightly eased her mind was that so far, she could see no signs of any bodies. Perhaps Ruby's warning had been seen early enough that the people of Mistral had indeed evacuated. Perhaps they had gotten lucky.

The further Winter looked, the more relief she allowed herself to feel. The tower had not pulled any innocent bystanders into its fall. Even the buildings nearby appeared relatively unscathed. Winter leapt high, falling down onto a glyph platform just a foot above the wrecked cement beneath her. She continued her search from her glyphs, creating a new one as she stepped forward and allowed the previous glyph to fade. The air was still dusty and polluted, but all remained quiet, with only Ruby's repeating warning serving as white noise. And still, no sign of bodies, either White Fang or council members. And Winter knew she would find none. That blast had incinerated everything in that small room, and it was so far buried beneath the ground that she was sure no one would ever see it again. Senka had kept her promise. The White Fang had died for what they were fighting for, however misguided their actions were. She sighed, looking down at herself, her jacket, pants, and boots all covered in ash and dirt. Without her uniform, she didn't look like - or feel like - an Atlesian Specialist. It pricked at her heart a bit, missing what had become her home after leaving the Schnee household. Which brought along another unwanted thought. _Weiss,_ she thought. _Where are you now? Are you still with Father? Are you at least safe?_

Farther away, a high-pitched keening sound broke through the air. Winter whipped around, gazing off into the distance, searching for the unknown sound. The sound changed, shifting into what was closer to a battlecry, and far away, on the other side of the debris field, a pillar of flame, stone, and wind erupted, ripping into the sky like that fierce roar. Winter immediately began to run, propelling herself forward with her Semblance, a tiny smile on her lips. She soared through the air, seeing the pillar begin to dissipate, though long whips of flame still lashed out, the silhouette of a figure lowering itself to the ground among the flames. Winter landed a couple hundred feet away. She spotted Qrow a few seconds later, watching him carefully as he turned toward her, catching her eye and giving her a lopsided grin. Sable emerged from the smoke and wisps of embers beside him, staring at her evenly. Winter pulled herself together, walking towards them.

"Nice entrance, Schnee. But I think Sable's takes the cake." Qrow nodded at Sable, who scowled in return, though Winter noticed her shoulders straightened, as if she were proud of the compliment, and her slate blue-grey eyes seemed brighter.

"Are you alright?" Winter turned her attention to Sable, looking her over. Sable's clothes, unlike Winter's, seemed more or less in good shape. She watched the Maiden glance down at her outfit, finding a spot of dirt, and burning it away as she held a hand over it, somehow keeping the fabric from flaming or even darkening. Winter watched in thinly veiled wonder. "Neat trick."

"Thanks." Sable looked at her, smiling wryly. "I'm fine. A little sore, and pretty pissed. But I have to say, you look a little worse for wear."

"Yes, well , that is what happens to individual lacking in magical power when they skyrocket through a collapsing building," Winter replied dryly. Sable shrugged, though she grinned widely in amusement.

"Survivors?" Qrow asked. Winter shook her head.

"None. No sign of any life. I assume any nearby civilians were evacuated thanks to your niece's warning. The guards and officials on the upper levels of Kaigi Tower were most likely evacuated as well. The chamber we were in was three stories below the surface. I can only assume that Ruby's message never made it to us because of difficult connections from being underground. As for the council-," Winter frowned, "- they were killed before the explosion. And the White Fang would have been caught in the blast, not to mention trapped underground."

"So, what do we do now?" Sable asked, sounding degrees less cheerful than just a moment before. "We tried to warn the council, and that ain't gonna help anybody now."

"Perhaps-," Winter began, then stopped as a faint buzzing noise interrupted her. The three of them each turned their heads to find the noise.

"Look," Sable said, pointing a hand at the building. The screen that had been playing Ruby's message began to flicker, lines of static appearing over the young girl's face. Her lips began to move slow, then quick, her words warping out.

" _Please stop. I'm … Rose. Vale...from … Beacon… attack…"_ The sentences started coming out in garbled fragments, and the whole screen was now flickering rapidly.

"The message is cutting out," Winter said.

"What's happening?" Sable asked.

"Haven is being attacked," Qrow said, staring at the screen. "I'm sure of it."

"We have to get there. _Now._ " Winter insisted. Qrow nodded, already moving forward.

"Speed is of the essence." He glanced back at them, his expression almost apologetic. "I have a way to get myself there quickly, but I can't take either of you. Can I trust you to get there as quickly as possible?" Winter stared at him curiously. What was he talking about?

"Duh," Sable said, rolling her eyes, though she too seemed curious as to what he meant. Qrow glanced at Winter, and she realized he was looking for a definitive answer from her.

"Yes, I can make it there quickly," she promised with a nod.

"Good," Sable said. "Because I'm not carrying you." Winter scoffed, drawing her sabre closer.

"Good. I will see you there," Qrow said, glancing at Winter quickly. "Be prepared to meet hell." He turned and began running away, in the direction of Haven. Sable looked over at Winter, cracking her knuckles loudly.

"See you there," she said, eyes beginning to glow. "If you can beat me." With that, she launched herself into the air, a twister of air beneath her as she soared away. Leaves and rocks were sucked into the vortex as Sable flew, already gaining speed. Winter braced herself, drawing on her Aura. She felt a few of the cuts on her cheeks and hands begin to close up and smooth, and the Schnee snowflake stared at her from the ground as a line of glyphs led the way down the empty street. Winter shot forward, sprinting along the glyphs that gave her speed. Something flapped beside her, a soft noise above the blood roaring in her ears. She turned her head to the side, spying a dark bird flying beside her. It kept pace with her for a few minutes, then flew ahead, soon nothing more than an inky spot before it completely disappeared. Winter furrowed her brows, her mind turning. _Unlikely. Not possible. And yet…_ She shook her head. She did not have the luxury to spare any thoughts from her destination and what awaited her there.

To Haven.

 **XXX**

**New chapter out! Finally! I'm sorry for how late this came out, and I'm especially pissed at myself because honestly, this was supposed to come out about a week or so ago. I had most of the chapter written for a long time, but I didn't know how to end it at first. I had a lot of ideas and things I wanted to squeeze into this chapter, but I didn't know where I'd fit it all in, and a lot of it wasn't making sense timeline-wise, so I cut some of it and rewrote the ending. I now know where I'm going to fit a lot of it in, and I have a lot of ideas for coming up chapters! A lot of shit was going to happen to Qrow and Winter in this chapter ... but now it's just going to happen in the next few chapters ;)**

 **Shit's getting real! It's starting to look a little dire for our heroes! It couldn't possibly get worse though... Right? Right? ;)**

 **Amelia: Glad you liked the story! Here's a new chapter!**

 **A Dusty Old Qrow: Again, thank you so much for the compliment, and thank you so much for the reviews! It means a lot, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Nina Vale: Glad you like Sable a lot! The Maidens have been my favorite original characters to write, and Sable is refreshing for me because she really doesn't give a damn about much. Not quite the attitude for the kind and protective Maidens, but Sable makes it work. Mostly. I'm going to be honest, I haven't decided if Tyrian will appear yet. I'm still heavily debating it. I have some ideas I'm playing around with, but I don't know if I'll use him. If I do decide, it will probably be farther down the road, but who knows. I'm always thinking of some last minute little additions I like to add in some of the chapters.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Finally another chapter! And a big thank you to all the new followers! Author's note at bottom (as usual, I do not own RWBY)**

 **XXX**

Haven looked very much like Qrow thought it would. It was like looking through a lens, a filter resembling Beacon the night it was attacked. Smoke was blowing out of over half a dozen windows, and students in both battle gear and the black and white Haven uniforms were running everywhere, the air filled with the sounds of screams and weapons being fired. Qrow landed just along the edge of the building where very few students were running by, his wings folding into space as he changed back. He could hear a loud roaring from the other side of the school, followed by a quick round of shots. The Grimm were beginning to appear, though he had to be thankful that they were nowhere near the destruction or carnage of Beacon. Yet.

He hesitated outside one of the windows into Haven. He should wait for Winter and Sable, but … they could both handle themselves, and he had to get inside and find Professor Lionheart and Ruby. And maybe a part of him didn't want them to tag along. Didn't want Winter to follow him.

He swung himself over the ledge and hopped through the window, scanning the area. The main hall was a mess, filled with screaming students, guards trying to hold back the doors as large, dark claws tried to pry them open. One female student, still in uniform, was on the grounding sobbing. Qrow recognized the stern professor he and Winter had met, Professor Cameroon. She was standing by the door, two batons in her hand, crouched into a fighting stance. A large group of students stayed huddled in the middle, some with weapons in hand, some cowering back in fright.

Qrow ran past them, to the elevator he had taken to Lionheart's office. He barely remembered even pressing the button, or passing the first few floors; every nerve in his body was on high alert. When the elevator finally jerked to a stop and the doors opened, he charged into the room, his hand unconsciously drifting toward the handle of his sword.

"Lionheart," he growled. No answer. The room looked trashed, ash covering the floor and papers ripped and shredded to pieces all over the desk in the center. "Lionheart!" Qrow called louder. A head poked out from behind the desk, and the headmaster began to pull himself to his feet.

"Qrow," he breathed. Qrow couldn't tell if that was awe or embarrassment in his voice, but he didn't care.

"What did you do?" Qrow demanded. "Your school is under attack!"

"Did you come here to tell me, 'I told you so'?" Lionheart asked, narrowing his eyes. "Come to say that you were right?"

"I'm here to see why you aren't doing anything to help your students!" Qrow's eyes blazed, and he took a bold step forward. "The Grimm are beginning to cover the school grounds and break in, and you've got what looks like half your students stuck in the main hall! Do you know what's happened to the Council?" Lionheart didn't answer for a moment. The quiet between the two men felt out of place in the middle of what was essentially a battlefield. Qrow breathed hard, his blood starting to boil.

"I didn't believe it at first," Lionheart said quietly.

"You didn't believe it?!" Qrow hissed through clenched teeth. In that moment, Qrow wished Oz was still with him. Despite his flaws, he was good at looking at situations from both sides, and dealing with people. Qrow remembered the years past when a younger, cheerful Lionheart had almost always agreed with Ozpin's decisions, though Qrow suspected it was because Ozpin's decisions were the more peaceful ones, compared to Jimmy's. Lionheart had always been a good enough guy, but now he was so indifferent. The guy was often a coward, never one for confrontation, which had led to a lot of arguments with Ironwood that Ozpin had to mediate. He had no true convictions or anything he fought for, or at least, that's how it seemed to Qrow. Qrow had always assumed that as a headmaster, the one thing Lionheart would always fight for was his school and his students. It seemed that he was wrong.

"I had been warned by one of our own students that spies were coming here… that you were…," Lionheart stammered. Qrow could fill in the gaps himself. _That we were spies. That's why he blew up when he discovered Winter had come from Atlas._ Qrow just wanted to shake him by the shoulders.

"Yeah, and you shut us out and let the real enemy in," Qrow snapped.

"Vale fell. I did not want my school to fall," Lionheart whispered. Something outside crashed, and the muffled roar of a Grimm echoed around them. Qrow gritted his teeth, trying ignore the rushing anxiety he was beginning to feel. Every second he spent trying to snap Lionheart out of his stupor, the Grimm grew closer to destroying the whole school.

"Listen, Lionheart. I get it. The world is going to shit. We've become players in a massive game that could end up with us dead and Remnant in ruin. But sitting on your ass and doing nothing won't accomplish anything." Qrow leaned down a bit, looking the headmaster square in the eye. "The school is _just a school._ It's a _building._ At the end of the day, what you should be proud of is your students and how much they've learned. So your building gets some holes in it. Go down there and fight for your students!" Qrow could see some of the words stick with Lionheart as he recoiled away for a moment, eyes narrowing in thought. Qrow began to back away, back to the elevator. "Stay up here if you want. I'm going to help your kids." He turned around, heading to the elevator.

"Qrow." He turned his head. Lionheart was leaning against the desk, his face drawn and dull. "There is a tunnel system in the basement that will lead into the city. It might be a way to get the students out." Qrow felt a twinge of annoyance, smothering a scowl. A faulty exit; there could be Grimm or White Fang members in the city by now, and Lionheart still sounded like he would leave the students to themselves. Qrow decided not to deign the suggestion with any response, just continued to the elevator, slamming a hand on the basement button. Whether he agreed with Lionheart or not, it'd be best to at least check out the tunnel and see whether it was a viable exit plan in case the Grimm became too much.

The ride down to the basement was surely an eternity long. Qrow drummed his fingers against the wall, muttering under his breath as the number on the screen counted down by each floor. "Come on, come on," he muttered. The elevator jerked to a stop, and the doors opened into the basement. It looked exactly like any basement; boiler tanks lining one side, pipes criss-crossing over the ceiling and walls, ancient lanterns half covered in dust. Qrow raised an eyebrow, looking around. Where was the tunnel?

On the positive side, there were no Grimm in sight. The tunnel might just be inconspicuous enough to sneak the Haven students out of here. The question was, would it be safe to lead the escaping students back into the city?

He turned another corner, expecting to find another corridor of boilers and piping, but instead the hallway faded into darkness, the edges rounding out like one giant pipe. This was it. He passed a hand along the interior wall, feeling for anything out of the ordinary. No light switch of any kind, which made sense considering it probably wasn't meant to be used as a room or hall. The air was slightly cooler than the rest of the basement; even the side of the tunnel felt cool to the touch. He peered in, squinting into the shadows. There was no light flickering at the end of the tunnel, at least not that he could see. If the tunnel actually led into the city, no doubt it ran for miles. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking through the options. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he heard something making a faint sound behind him.

"Qrow!" Qrow's eyebrows raised, and he turned to see Winter, running towards him, her eyes wide and expression almost fearful.

"Schnee? What are you doing here?" he asked, confused.

"Looking for you, of course!" She gave him a strange look, then smiled up at him. "I thought you would need help down here. You can't just do this by yourself. You need me!"

"The students upstairs need you," Qrow said, frowning. "Did you see how they were doing? I had to leave them, but the Grimm were about to break in…"

"Don't worry, they're doing fine," Winter said, placing a hand gently on his. "They can handle themselves. They're Hunters-in-training, after all. And I saw your niece with them."

"Ok," Qrow said cautiously. Was that the best decision? Sure, he trusted Ruby to hold her own, but she - all of them - were just kids. Winter's eyes slid to where the tunnel began.

"What are you doing?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I spoke with Lionheart," Qrow began.

"You did?!"

"Well, it was a bit of a one-sided conversation," Qrow said with a shrug. "He told me this tunnel leads into the city. I was checking it out to make sure there was nothing guarding it. We might be able to lead the students out."

"You'd ask them to abandon their school?"

"It's just a building," Qrow repeated from his earlier conversation with Lionheart. "Maybe they'd be able to handle it, but I'm not going to ask them to put their lives on the line unless I am absolutely sure we need them." Winter said nothing, just stared ahead into the tunnel.

"Should we check the end of the tunnel?" Winter asked warily.

"Don't know if we have the time," Qrow muttered. He glanced over at Winter, a thought coming to his mind. "Unless you can use your glyphs to get down there and back very quickly." Winter's eyes flashed to him. "Do you think you could do that, Schnee?" She shifted on her feet, back to gazing down the tunnel.

"I-i don't know," she said, her voice sounding a little shaky. Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"You ok?"

"It's just … I used a lot of energy already, and -" She turned to him, suddenly throwing her arms around him, leaning her head until it rested on his shoulder. Qrow's mouth gaped open, freezing in place. What was he supposed to do? He was used to the Ice Queen acting cold and distant. Sure, he'd comforted his nieces as best as he could when they were down, not that he was the best at it. But they were kids. And he and the Ice Queen were in the middle of stopping a battle.

"Schnee, you're worrying me," Qrow said, trying to take a step back. But Winter barely budged. Instead, she tiled her head a little bit, enough that her long bangs fell across her eyes, though Qrow could still see patches of stony blue beneath the hair.

"Qrow," she sighed. "Thank you." Qrow started. That was not what he was expecting.

"For what, Schnee?" Winter pulled back a little, looking Qrow in the eye. She leaned her head toward his, and Qrow gaped down at her, feeling a little flabbergasted. How many weeks had he spent with Winter now … things had certainly changed between them. It was strange. He knew that as much as Winter Schnee had once gotten on his nerves, he hated what she had represented more; Jimmy's arrogance, Jacque's pride, Atlas' strict thinking. And then there was the past … He felt himself lean forward a bit, and internally cursed himself. _Moron. You have a war going on. You have no time to be a selfish idiot._ "Schnee-,"

"Yeah?" she breathed, eyes lighting up. Qrow furrowed his brows.

"Where's Sable?" Winter froze, frowning. Something flickered in her eyes, expression now stoic.

"Schnee?" Qrow took a step forward, an ugly feeling settling in his gut. He could almost see the pieces lining up before him as he began to understand. _No …_

"Sable," she muttered, her face scrunching into a thoughtful look. "Qrow, I -," Her sentence got cut off, eyes widening and mouth forming a wide O as a shot fired fired off and went right through her. Something metallic clicked, and a large object slashed through the air, and then through Winter. The woman gasped as Qrow brought his sword down, staring at her impassively. Then her body distorted, as if there was a filter of static over her, before disappearing completely. Qrow straightened up, looking at the spot where "Winter" had been with disgust.

"Where are you?" Qrow growled. "Might as well come out now." Silence followed, only the occasional clink of the pipes making any noise. Qrow narrowed his eyes, flipping his sword back so the barrel of the gun was visible. He aimed around the room, scanning for even the slightest movement. Nothing showed, but he knew they were still there. He stopped, turning as the sound of something sliding against the slick floor alerted him. He took aim, firing once toward the sound.

"Ahh!" Another blur in the air, and then a girl fell to the ground, jumping out of bullet's path with barely a second to spare. She looked up at Qrow with wide, red eyes, almost like those of his sister's. Cropped green hair framed her scowling face, and Qrow vaguely recognized her from the Vytal Festival; she had been on the team with the kid who Yang had attacked. _She must have some kind of Illusion Semblance or something of the sort,_ he thought. _The day I found Amber … there had been an Illusionist there too, I think._ He narrowed his eyes, walking towards her. The girl's scowl deepened, and she slid farther away, reaching for what Qrow had to assume was her weapon. He aimed his gun at her again, now barely ten feet away from her. She froze.

"Neat trick you got there," Qrow commented. "Though it is playing a little dirty, don't ya think?"

"Look who's talking," the green-haired girl seethed. Qrow's mouth twitched, but he held the girl's hateful gaze.

"Don't suppose you'll tell me how many of you are here, setting this whole thing up?" Qrow pointed a finger up to the ceiling, where the faint rumbles of battle could be heard. "Or what you're doing down here, waiting by the tunnel?" The girl remained silent, only giving him a glare in response. He snorted. "Didn't think so, but it's worth a shot." He glanced around the basement for some kind of rope or cord. He couldn't stay here guarding her all day, not when the Grimm could have already broken through upstairs. What had this girl's name even been? Emma, Emily, Edna … something like that. No, Emerald! Her name had been on one of the team rosters from Haven. Qrow remembered looking it over when Yang fought her teammate, Mercury Black.

"You're wasting your time down here, when you could be up there? Helping your niece?" The girl asked, a mixture of contempt and disbelief in her voice. Qrow turned to her, which was enough of a response for her it seemed. She gave him an evil grin, shifting so she was in a more comfortable sitting position. "The really peppy, cheerful one who's _always smiling_ all the damn time!" Her smile dropped, now replaced by an annoyed scowl. Qrow was beginning to think this was her natural expression. "The one with the silver eyes." _That_ got Qrow's attention. He took a few steps closer, his face darkening.

"Who else knows about her?" He asked. No answer. Predictable. And anyways, he had assumed that by now, Salem and her crew knew full well there was a silver-eyed warrior running around. If this girl knew Ruby, no doubt she had made the connection and told her colleagues. Which wasn't good. It meant he had to get to Ruby fast. "I'm surprised you're not up there causing trouble yourself."

"You think I'm the only one here?" Her eyes lit up with an almost hungry look. "Is the Sable girl you're looking for the Maiden? Is she here? We know you found one of them." Qrow kept his face smooth and nonchalant, though inside he was itching to just run out of there and find Ruby and the others. So Salem knew he and Winter had found at least one Maiden. The 'other ones' Emerald had alluded to must include her teammate, and that damn Cinder Fall, if she was unfrozen yet. There could be a dozen others he didn't know about. That kid he had bumped into at the hotel could be here perhaps. Fortunately, though Emerald, and most likely her comrades, knew a Maiden was with them, they didn't seem to know anything about Beth. Good. Now he just needed to get this brat out of the way.

"Just because I'm feeling nice, I'm gonna give you one chance to get out of here and not cause any more trouble," Qrow said smoothly. "If not…" he trailed off, snapping his weapon back into its sword form. Emerald watched for a moment before slowly climbing to her feet, dusting herself off before pulling out two pistols. Qrow shrugged. "If that's how it's going to be!" He rushed forward, sword held to the side. Emerald immediately opened fire, shooting bright green laser rounds at him. Qrow easily deflected them, spinning his sword to shield himself before running at her again. He lunged forward, bringing his sword down closer and closer to her head, just as she disappeared from sight. His sword met nothing but air, and hit the ground with a metallic clang. Qrow grunted, hefting his weapon over his shoulder.

"Where'd you go?" He muttered.

"I'm right here, Qrow!" He stiffened and turned around. But it was not the green-haired teen staring back at him. Winter Schnee stood before him, smiling and waving like a little schoolgirl. Qrow narrowed his eyes, frowning.

"No Qrow, I'm over here!" He snapped his gaze to his left, somewhat surprised to find another Winter Schnee grinning back at him. _It's an illusion. It's not really her._

"No, here I am!" Another Winter had materialized behind him.

"Qrow! Here!" To his right, two Winter's hugged each other, smiling back at him. He gritted his teeth, trying to shut out the barrage of Winter Schnee's. Oddly, none of them disappeared. He was completely surrounded by Winters, all grinning rather stupidly at him.

 _That the best you got?_ "Think I'm going to fall for that again?" he asked loudly. As if in response, each Winter cocked their heads to the side, stared at him, and began to laugh. It was a chilling sound, not only in that it was odd to hear the Ice Queen laugh, but that this was more of a haunting, evil sound than a carefree, cheerful one. "I'll admit, you've got a useful Semblance. And it seems like you've mastered it pretty well. Even got me thinking I could actually touch one of your illusions." He walked towards the Winter in front of him, whistling as he went. "But no Semblance is perfect. And while your Illusions can trick people into thinking they can see, hear, or feel something that's not there-" He slashed his sword through the Winter, watching as she vanished, - "they're just illusions." He spun his weapon, cutting and slashing through each fake Winter gracefully while firing rounds into them as well. Within seconds, Qrow was standing alone again, no Winters in sight. He breathed out a sigh, chuckling lightly to himself.

"No!" Emerald appeared to his right, glowering at him. She swung her dual guns in front of her, pointing them at Qrow with a grimace. Qrow grinned. Compared to most Hunter weapons, even those in training, Emerald's looked like toys. Baring his own teeth in a taunting manner, Qrow held his sword out in challenge, gesturing for her to make the first move. She made an angry hissing noise through her teeth, then dashed for him, shooting as she ran. Again, Qrow deflected them with ease. Emerald jerked to a stop, and swung her guns in an arch, letting two scythe-like blades fly from them. Long chains kept them attached to the guns, and Qrow had the brief thought that Ruby would have liked the weapons as he ducked away from the scythes. He skidded back to the wall, then pushed himself off for momentum, soaring past Emerald. He landed neatly behind the girl, who was frantically trying to unhook her scythe weapons from the wall.

"Nice try!" Qrow commented. He prepared to finish her off, raising his blade, when he heard a high pitched ring. _What was that noise?_ He paused, listening for the odd sound. Amidst the hisses of the boiler room, he heard a soft thud and another high-pitched ring. He slowly began to realize what it was, and immediately stood, firing multiple rounds at Emerald. They each pierced right through her, and in another second this Emerald had faded just like the fake Winters. Another illusion. He'd been distracted by the fake, and the real Emerald had fled to the elevator. _Idiot!_ He ran back around the corner to the elevator. Sure enough, the numbers on the elevator climbed back to the main floor of Haven, and there was no sign of Emerald or anything that could be one of her illusions.

"Damn!" He swore, mumbling under his breath. Being near his niece had softened him up too much. He should have taken the chance to at least knock her out while he had the chance. The question now was whether he should make sure the tunnel was safe, or head back upstairs. He frowned. Ruby was here, just upstairs, possibly battling for her life against Grimm, or maybe Emerald at this point. Emerald might not be a star fighter in his own opinion, but her Semblance made her a formidable enough opponent.

He turned back to the tunnel, doing his best to ignore the images flooding into his mind: a bandaged Yang being boarded onto a ship, Ruby under a pile of rubble after using her silver-eyed powers, Tai's face when he brought the girls home. Ruby could handle her own, at least for now. He sheathed his weapon, hooking it on the back of his belt. If he could find an exit to get the students out, he could prevent another attack the level of the Fall of Beacon. He shifted and let his ability take hold of himself, taking off down the tunnel in his feathered form.

 **XXX**

 **I've finally got another chapter up! I'm so sorry it took so long, and that the chapter is a little shorter than usual. I wanted to continue, but after some re-evaluation, I figured that it would be too much happening at once and this was a good place to stop. It was a busy past few months, but in about a month, I get a long break so hopefully the next chapter or two won't take so long.**

 **Thank you to the many new followers and guests who commented, as well as CrafterLegend12. I really appreciate all the comments and reviews. I know I take awhile with chapters, and it may not seem like a lot to you guys, but comments keep me going!**

 **Also, I just recently found a video someone made of the first chapter of this fanfic being read aloud as an ASMR type video, and I cannot express how happy it made me! In case you're curious, I've shared the link below. Shoutout to Qrowst with the Most, who so kindly read my fic, and shoutout to the fan who suggested it to him. You guys are so sweet, and this made my day. Which reminds me, if you guys ever do some kind of fanart of this story, or make something because of this fic, let me know! Send a link, share it, I'd love to see!**

 **Please comment with your thoughts or questions! I always love reading them.**

 **I also hope you're enjoying the new RWBY Volume. :)**

 **ASMR reading of Journey of an Ice Queen and Dusty Old Qrow:**

 **watch?v=0-ZhOxkAOs0**


	16. Chapter 16

**Guess who's back?! Another chapter! I tried to make this one a bit longer, considering my "hiatus". I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this out! Author's note and more at the bottom!**

 **Usual disclaimer, Ruby is not mine and I do not own it or its characters.**

 **XXX**

Winter landed lightly on the grass, gazing up at Haven Academy. She had hurried as fast as she could on her glyphs, but she was sure Qrow had made it here before her. There was no mist now covering the grounds of the academy, just smoke from the upper windows of the building. From her spot, she could see a large Ursa Major battering at the door, tearing out a large chunk and sending wooden splinters flying everywhere. Winter immediately readied her sabre and charged towards the Grimm.

"Help!" someone screamed from inside the building. Someone inside fired off a gun, sending a few pitiful Dust rounds at the Ursa. The Ursa roared, scratching out another large piece of the door. It thrust a claw through the opening just as Winter jumped through the air, lunging forward and sending a blast of ice from her sword. She landed right next to the Ursa that was now roaring angrily as it tried to free its frozen paw. Huge ice shards engulfed the Ursa's left paw, keeping it stuck to the door. Winter could hear the students inside murmuring in shock, some shouting, some crying. She ran up to the door, jumping onto a glyph platform and looking through the opening in the door. What had to be over a hundred students stared back at her, professors scattered among them. Winter recognized Professor Cameroon, staring up at her with surprise.

"I've bought us a little time," Winter said loudly, gesturing at the Ursa. "Any students ill prepared or inexperienced for battle should find a safe place to go. Any experienced students or Hunters, come follow me. I'll need help finishing this beast off." Immediately 3 of the professors moved through the crowd of kids to the door. A couple of students ran forward a few seconds later, weapons in hand. Winter hoped most of them were upperclassmen. She didn't know if she could handle being a part of any young freshman dying. It would remind her too much of Weiss.

Professor Cameroon took her place at the head of the group assembled, turning her head to give orders to some of the remaining upperclassmen, before returning her gaze to Winter's, staring at her expectantly. The other professors and students all looked ready, albeit a little frightened. Winter held out a hand, concentrating on the ground beneath the students and professors.

"Get ready," she warned, "I'm going to send you into the air to attack the Grimm. Try to aim for the head, and avoid its claws." And with that she created large, black glyphs beneath each group of Hunters, sending them skyrocketing into the air. They wasted no time and launched straight into battle. The students looked like tiny mice, grabbing onto the Ursa's fur and scurrying over its back, slashing and shooting as they went. One girl, garbed in a sleek, aerodynamic suit, stabbed her sword into the Ursa's back and held on tightly as it thrashed about, refusing to let go. One of the other classmates swung over the girl, leaping from the Ursa's spikes that jutted out of its back, slashing as they went.

The professors were much more elegant and coordinated in their attack. Where the students had split up and barraged it with separate, individual attacks, the professors took turns attacking and assisting one another. One muscular, elderly woman drew a large, square shield from her back, allowing Professor Cameroon to leap on it and use the force from the shove as momentum, going for the Ursa's eyes. Her batons crackled with electricity as she jabbed them in the Ursa's glowing red eyes, sending sparks flying around her. The Ursa roared, lunging forward and headbutting the door, breaking some of the ice off of its frozen paw. Winter jumped back into the fray, sending blasts of Ice Dust where she could. If she could just keep the Ursa stuck where it was, the other Huntsmen and Huntresses could finish it off quickly. She glanced to her left just as Professor Cameroon landed beside her. The professor's hair was ruffled, and her face had smudges of black on it.

"Are you alright, Professor?" Winter asked. Professor Cameroon looked over at her in surprise and flushed. Winter wondered if the professor was thinking of their previous altercation when she and Qrow had visited Lionheart.

"Miss Schnee, I believe?" Professor Cameroon asked. Winter nodded. "If I may -,"

"We do not have the time for apologies right now," Winter said quickly, biting back a retort. _Had you believed us initially, this may not have happened._ But Winter couldn't find it in herself to be angry at this woman and her students, not when they were scared and trying to survive. If any highly suspicious persons had gone to Winter or General Ironwood to warn the Atlesian Army, with little to no evidence, she would have had the same doubts. Either way, she had to help defend the academy now. "We need to destroy the Grimm as quickly as possible. A decapitation would be the fastest way."

"There are a few other Grimm around the campus, but so far we haven't attracted any hordes." Winter had seen a few Grimm on her way to the Academy; a couple Beowolves sniffing about, a stray Nevermore in the sky. Unusual for major cities in any kingdom, but nothing compared to the devastation of Vale. At least not yet. And for that, Winter was thankful.

"There's most likely a number of Grimm heading towards the city now," Winter said, sobering up. _If I had my Unit here, I would immediately lead a group into the city to defend it,_ she thought. But she had left the Army in favor of going on a top-secret mission with Qrow. Could she even lead them now? She was barely better than a deserter…

"The Council," breathed Professor Cameroon.

"If the evacuation video was successful, we may be lucky and have minimal damage by the Grimm," Winter added, hoping it would ease the professor's mind. She shook her head. Thinking any negative thoughts would do nothing but hurt them and call more Grimm to them. "Now, let us finish this one." Winter nodded at the Ursa, and pulled a vial of yellow Dust out of her pocket, switching it with one of the half empty Dust vials in her saber. The professor nodded, readying her batons again, and leapt back into action, joining one of the students on the back of the Ursa. The Ursa was now thrashing wildly, breaking off huge chunks of ice each time it shook its massive head. It wouldn't stay stuck for much longer.

Winter formed two glyphs, one beneath her feet and one behind her, and pushed off them with great speed, almost soaring through the air for a moment before her saber embedded itself into the Ursa's side. One of the other Huntsmen jumped down beside her, swinging a giant, squared hammer and slamming it into the Ursa. The beast roared, shifting its body so it was now staring down at Winter and the Huntsman with glowing, red eyes. Winter pulled her sword back quickly and sent the Huntsman and herself flying back with a glyph, just as the Ursa broke its paw free from the ice and brought it down hard on the ground.

"Thanks," the Huntsman said, sounding out of breath. Winter nodded. "Professor Cameroon said you had an idea?"

"Yes. I just need everyone to attack the Ursa at once," Winter explained. "I'm going to try and cut the head off." The Hunstman grinned, spilling a bit of blood down his lip.

"My kind of plan!" he said, giving her a salute. He stood up quickly, glancing at her weapon. "You know, your Semblance is pretty useful. Would you mind …?" A glyph glowed beneath his feet and sent him skyrocketing back into the fray. "Thank you!" Winter heard him call. She smiled in spite of herself, and the situation around her, and then braced herself. She clicked something on her saber, and the blade began to glow a bright yellow. A glyph formed beneath her, but this glyph looked very different from her usual ones or her Summoning glyphs. This glyph resembled a clock, and the hands on it began spinning faster and faster as Winter felt her body fill with a new kind of energy. The clock hands spun like crazy before stopping, and the glyph flashed a bright golden color before fading.

Winter raced forward, running faster than she could even with her normal glyphs, and sliced the Ursa multiple times. She could see everything perfectly, though to everyone else she looked like a blur, dashing around the Ursa. She hopped onto its head, delivering a series of attacks in a second, fast as lightning. The Grimm shook its head, but Winter stayed firmly planted on the back of its neck, cutting the area between its head and body as quickly as possible. She brought her saber down as hard as possible, burying it in the dark fur of the Ursa's neck. Already she could feel the effects of the Time Dilation dimming a bit and leaving her body. She didn't have much longer before the effects wore off entirely. She formed a black glyph in the air, still shimmering a dim gold from the Time Dilation, and braced her feet against the new glyph. Four more black glyphs formed behind it, pulling back ever so slightly, like a slingshot ready to launch a rock. Winter held herself in the position for another second, holding her saber at the base of its neck. Vaguely, she could hear the yells of the other Huntsmen and students as they battered the Ursa with attacks. With her heart beating fast and the blood pumping in her ears, everything else sounded strangely muffled. The energy of the Time Dilation seeped out of her body, replaced by the adrenaline of the battle, and just as the Ursa began to tilt its head, searching for whatever was on its back, the black glyphs snapped Winter forward.

With the added force, her saber cleaved right through the Ursa's neck like a butter knife. Dashes of red and spirals of black surrounded her as she cut through the Ursa until she felt her sword come free and then she was landing on the ground in a crouch. The Ursa's body toppled to the left, and the students and teachers jumped out of the way, scattering like birds. The head hit the ground a second later, the glow gone from its red eyes, and dark tendrils of shadow beginning to flow from the fur. The body had already begun to vanish back into darkness, like all Grimm did. Winter's eyes snapped to the silhouette of a person walking towards her. It was Professor Cameroon again.

"Well done," the professor said, stopping a few feet away from her. Winter nodded, climbing to her feet.

"Thank you," she said. "Your students did very well too." Professor Cameroon nodded, standing a little straighter with pride. Winter glanced over the woman's shoulder, watching the tired but proud students laugh, high five each other with pride and confidence. She brought her gaze back to Cameroon. "They'll make good Hunters." The professor nodded.

"Thank you for your help," Professor Cameroon said. "We're going to try evacuating the students now. I believe there are a few more Grimm around the academy, though none have come this way yet. We'll worry about the students first, try and get them to safety. If that all works, we may send some Hunters back to deal with the Grimm."

"Get the students as far away from here as possible," Winter agreed. "It would probably be best to stay away from the capitol city at the moment as well. My comrades and I can help take care of the Grimm if need be." It occurred to Winter in that moment that she had yet to see Qrow or Sable since they had left the city. Winter had thought she had seen Sable fly onto the campus; perhaps the Maiden was checking for other Grimm. Qrow, however, had all but disappeared. Winter tried to think of where he would be. "Have you seen Professor Lionheart?"

"I haven't," Professor Cameroon said, concern etched on her face. "I thought he might still be in his office, but he could have left to fight the Grimm elsewhere." Winter frowned.

"I'm going to head inside to look for him. Perhaps we should warn the students and get them to safety now," Winter suggested. The professor nodded, calling over the other Hunters and explaining the plan. A couple of the students who had helped against the Ursa protested, quieting only when Professor Cameroon explained that evacuating the school was the current priority and no one would be fighting anymore Grimm until the evacuation was complete. Winter turned to head inside, and froze when she heard gunfire. It sounded like someone had fired off a few shots off in the school. The professors' heads snapped toward the Academy.

"What was that?" one of them asked sharply. Winter quickly crossed the grass to the large, broken doors and created a large, black glyph over the two doors, shoving it open.

"Is everyone-," she began, and then grunted as something small and fast hit her in the shoulder. She stumbled back a bit, glancing at the spot that she'd been hit. Her Aura was in decent shape, so there'd been no injury or actual damage to herself, but the upper sleeve of her jacket had been slightly singed. Had it been a Dust round? She snapped her head to the inside of the Academy, narrowing her eyes. The inside had become filled with smoke, and Winter could barely make out the shape of some of the students backing away quickly as a lone figure walked towards her, heels clicking on the floor. Winter immediately snapped out her second sword, emptying out both chambers in the dual blades and replacing the Dust. The figure drew closer, raising a hand with something in it. A weapon. One of the students nearby yelled, and more began to run away, some further into the smoke, some streaming out the door.

Winter didn't waste a second. She raised her own weapon, and as the figure began to run towards her, she swung it through the air, sending a wave of ice Dust at the figure. Steam floated up from the ice and mixed with the smoke, making it even harder to see. Winter took a few steps forward, peering closely to see who the attacker had been. The smoke began to clear away, revealing a body in the ice, twisted and open mouthed from being hit. Winter stopped dead in her tracks.

The figure in the ice was Weiss.

Everything else in the world faded for Winter in that moment. The screams, the sound of gunshots far away, the yelling of professors as they tried to round up students. Nothing else mattered as Winter stared in horror at her baby sister, frozen in a block of ice before her. _Because_ of her.

"Weiss?" she whispered, her voice coming out in a croak. She took a wobbly step forward. Her strict, military discipline began to crumble. That armor that she had always kept around herself, the armor that she had tried to convince herself came from her training in Atlas, cracked. She didn't cry though; Winter wasn't quite sure if she could cry. "Weiss," she rasped, trying to take another step closer, but her legs wouldn't move. She felt stuck to the ground, forced to stare at the image of her sister, frozen solid. Her mind felt both sluggish and alert. Part of her could do nothing but stand there and another part of her, the trained, military leader in her, began running through possible solutions. _Ice Dust will usually melt with time. It's not impossible to get out of. If I try to unfreeze it with fire, it could hurt Weiss andicannotdothat …_

Two hands grasped her shoulder, shaking her hard. Her gaze slowly slid from Weiss and locked with the bright red eyes of Qrow. _Qrow is here,_ a voice in her mind whispered. Did that matter? She had been looking for him, right? Had he always been there? Had he even been gone? Winter's mind was scrambling. "Schnee?" Winter blinked as Qrow shook her again. Something began to stir inside her, a small kernel of annoyance that Qrow was shaking her. Then her eyes landed on Weiss again.

"Schnee!" She could see Qrow's mouth moving, and hear him saying her name, but everything seemed off. "Schnee, it's not real! Snap out of it!" Winter turned her eyes to Qrow again. "It's an illusion. It's somebody's Semblance! They're trying to make you see something that isn't there. Whatever you're seeing, it isn't real!" Winter's head began to clear. _Could it really be just an illusion?_ She was too afraid to hope, to allow herself such easy forgiveness for blindly attacking what could have been her sister. Qrow unsheathed his sword, turning and cocking it at the frozen Weiss. Winter's eyes widened as he shot the ice, and she felt her body unfreeze as the shot went right through the ice, no effect at all. The image seemed to flicker briefly.

"Qrow, what the hell?!" she yelled. Qrow turned back to her, and he seemed to be trying very hard not to grin. She wanted to slap him for a second.

"Well, you're back," he said.

"That could have been her!" Winter snapped. Qrow furrowed his eyes.

"Schnee, what did you see?" This time it was Winter's turn to look confused. The realization quickly hit her. _He couldn't see Weiss there. I was the only one who could see the Illusion._

"It doesn't matter," she said stiffly. "I just need to adjust. I've never come across anyone with a Semblance like this." She rubbed her eyes, trying to ignore the fear that had filled her entire body only moments before. She felt composed enough on the outside, but her insides felt jittery. Qrow eyed her suspiciously.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

"I understand now, if what you say is true," Winter said, eyes trained on the image. It had still not disappeared for whatever reason. "I can still see it, Qrow," she said uneasily. He turned around, scanning the smoke.

"It's one of Cinder Fall's associates, Emerald Sustrai. Her Semblance can mess with your head, make you see and hear things. I just fought her in the basement of the Academy, but she created an Illusion of herself and came back up here." Qrow grimaced, his mouth setting in a hard line. Winter wondered if he had seen any other Illusion, like she had. "This smoke sure isn't helping. But if she made you see an Illusion, she's around here somewhere."

"I can't see a single thing through this smoke! It's going to be near impossible to fight her," Winter observed grimly. "We need to move."

"Which way, Specialist?" Qrow said with a mock salute. Winter shot him a look, ignoring the snicker it earned her. Despite the jokes though, Qrow seemed a little unnerved. His eyes darted around the smoke-filled room, and she caught him glancing at her now and then, as if to make sure she was still there and not disappearing into the fog.

Winter began walking cautiously in one direction that she assumed lead further into the main hall. She could hear students yelling around her, one professor trying to calm them and direct them to a safe place in the chaos. The smoke was getting so thick her eyes began to sting and water. She was tempted to raise her second saber and just send a wave of fire across the room to try and clear the smoke, or at least possibly light where the Illusionist was hiding, but the image of Weiss frozen solid kept popping in her head. Winter would not let that happen to anyone else here, and given the poor visual conditions, it was best to air on the side of caution. Usually, Winter would bait the enemy, and wait for them to show themselves. It almost always worked, and drew the enemy in closer, forcing them to engage. But with a Semblance that could trick their senses, they would have to be more strategic with how they handled the situation, at best. At worst, they would need to jump headfirst into an attack with an enemy who was currently not visible.

Something shoved her hard, sending her stumbling forward a few steps. Winter immediately spun around, weapons at the ready. "Qrow, what-," she began in an annoyed tone.

"Look out!" he yelled, raising his own blade as a barrage of green-hued lasers shot out from the smoke and hit his sword. Winter acted quickly, pulling a vial of pure white Dust out from her bag. _I'm running low … better use only what I need._ She clipped the new vial in, saving the previous, partially-filled vial. She pointed her saber into the smoke and released a twister of Air into the smog. The room began to clear, leaving only a bit of a haze that covered the hall like a film now. And one girl with cropped green hair staring at them in anger and shock. She flung out her weapons in hand, bracing herself for battle. Winter narrowed her eyes. Qrow's fingers tapped against the handle of his sword.

"That's her," he murmured. Winter fixed the girl with a cold look. This girl, Emerald … she didn't look much older than Weiss. She looked like a kid. And yet she had already aligned herself with Cinder Fall and helped topple Beacon. What had happened to this girl to make her so bitter and cynical? Emerald glared at them, taking a few steps closer as she raised her pistols. "Your friend Cinder Fall isn't here. Why do you want to do Salem's dirty work?" Qrow called out. Emerald froze at the mention of her employer.

"You don't know anything," she shouted back angrily. "Cinder will be back. And until she is, I'll do what she asked of me."

"You really think you can do anything with an entire Academy of Hunters ready to fight you? This doesn't accomplish anything, kid," Qrow said with a shake of his head. Winter stood by his side, watching the girl and trying to piece together info about her. Qrow sighed. "Listen, as much of a nuisance as you've been," he drawled. "If you leave now, we'll let you go." Winter turned to him, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm insulted you think I'd take the coward's way out," Emerald said.

"Well then, get out of our way," Qrow said, resting his sword against him. The implication was obvious. _Or else._

"You're going to have get through us if you want to go farther," she said, red eyes blazing.

"Us?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow. Emerald grinned, but simply stood there. She didn't fire or use her weapons, and for a moment Winter wondered if she was even going to do anything but stand there. Then she heard a low whistling sound, growing closer. It didn't sound like it was on either side of her though. Winter glanced upward.

"Qrow, get out of the way!" she yelled, shoving him away as another person landed between them, right in the spot Qrow had been. A shot went off, but Winter couldn't tell who had shot it or where it went. The figure looked up at it, a smug smile on his face. He too seemed young, and was dressed in what looked like a biker's uniform in various shades of black and grey.

"Who are you?" Winter asked coldly.

"I'm the guy who's going to stop you two from messing up our plans any further." He jumped onto his hands, shooting a leg out at Winter, _fast_ , and catching her blade, the sound of metal screeching as his boot met her weapon. Winter slid backwards, covering her face. He kicked his leg toward her again, firing another shot. Winter dodged to the left, quickly using her Semblance to hop on a platform and jump back at the boy. He brought up his leg, blocking her initial attack. She grimaced and brought out her secondary sword, jabbing multiple times at his abdomen. He let out a hiss of pain, jumping back to gain some space.

Winter's gaze darted to her left, where Qrow had leapt into battle with the Illusionist girl. Her weapons seemed agile enough, but Qrow was quick, and he barraged her with attacks from every angle as he jumped around Emerald, switching his weapon's form as he gashed and fired at her. He was gaining ground, forcing the girl back, who now looked a little flustered albeit still furious.

The soft thud of the boy before her jumping back to his feet drew her gaze back to her own fight.

"Come on," he taunted. "Am I not keeping you interested?" Winter answered with a wave of Air Dust, sending him flying backward. He managed to twist in the air and land on his feet, allowing Winter to see the metal pieces in his boot. _I knew some part of his boot had to be metal. Are they his weapon?_ Her answer came soon enough, as he suddenly began to spin his body around on his hands, much like a street dancer she had seen once. Missile-like objects appeared in the air around him as he repeatedly kicked his feet as he spun. A twister of what appeared to be special Dust rounds circled him.

Winter began her Summoning, concentrating on the glyph beneath her. One small Nevermore flew out, then a second, then a third, until a steady stream of glowing white Nevermores flew up and began circling Winter, forming their own twister. She was surrounded by a glowing tornado of her Summons. Across from her, the boy was barely visibly in his swarming twister of grey missiles. Winter could barely make him out as he began kicking out his legs in sharp jabs, sending Dust rounds her way. Winter raised a hand, and a few of the Summoned Nevermores shot out and intercepted the rounds.

The boy began moving insanely fast, a blur within his deadly tornado. One by one, he sent the projectiles her way. They flew towards her, whistling as they grew close to impact. Winter furrowed her brow, concentrating on her Summon, then sent the ethereal birds away from her. They darted away in zigzagging streams, a line of small, Summoned Nevermores heading for each projectile. They collided with the missiles, causing a chain of explosions in the air. The boy was now on his feet, looking slightly surprised that each of his attacks had been deflected. There were no spinning projectiles left, and Winter had let her few remaining Summons disappear.

"Have you had enough?" she asked, giving her opponent a stone-cold stare. The boy grimaced, turning his head to the side and cracking his neck loudly.

"I think we're just getting started, don't you?" he asked in a mocking voice. Winter let out an angry noise and launched herself forward. The boy lunged forward as well, and the two clashed again in a flurry of metal. Winter had to admit, the boy was certainly a talented fighter. She raised her sword again and again to block his quick kicks, but it was much harder to fight against a style and weapon like his, rather than another swordsman.

"Knock it off!" Winter heard Qrow growl, just barely audible over the hectic noise. She turned and saw him swiping his weapon through the air, covering his eyes with a hand despite nothing around him. Emerald stood further away, eyes laser-focused on Qrow. She swung the chain of her weapon outward, snagging Qrow's wrist. Winter began to move towards them, intent on freeing Qrow when the silver-haired boy jumped in front of her, blocking her path. Winter narrowed her eyes, her blood beginning to boil. _Out of my way!_ She stabbed her saber into the ground with a yell, and watched a line of flames shoot up from the ground.

"Woah!" the silver-haired boy cried, jumping back to avoid the flames. Winter took the opportunity and raced past him with her Semblance. She could see Qrow struggling with the chain around his wrist, and with whatever illusion he was seeing. She could see Emerald raise her other gun, and Winter felt her heart skip a beat. But just as she moved to send another wave of Fire at the girl, another voice caught her attention.

"NO! Uncle Qrow!" Something zipped by Winter, faster than she had seen anything move, and knocked Emerald over in a mess of red petals. Emerald screeched, dropping her weapons as she was knocked to the ground. Qrow blinked, holding his free hand to his forehead in a dazed motion, before noticing the chain on his wrist and yanking it off. Something bright and red rose up from its spot next to Emerald, and its hood fell off. _Ruby Rose,_ Winter thought in wonder. The girl was breathing hard, staring at Emerald. She whipped her scythe out, pointing it at Emerald's face, as if to warn her not to move.

"Stand down," Ruby said.

 **XXX**

 **Soooooooo...it's been awhile! And I'm so sorry for making you wait months for a chapter! Life got busy, and to be honest, there was a part of this chapter I had a lot of trouble writing and coming up with an ending for. I do like how it turned out. I actually cut it down a bit, so part of the next chapter is already written. I'd like to have the next chapter out in the next week or two tops, but I don't want to make any promises yet.**

 **Operator Blake: You are super sweet! Thank you! I'm just glad people enjoy the story :)**

 **Bri: Thank you for the advice! I'll definitely try to make that more clear. As for how long this story will take ... I can't say. I have no set amount of chapters in mind for this fanfic, and I don't want to rush things. I can't promise anything, nor can I say that it's only going to take another two chapters for Qrow and Winter to get together. I want to build this relationship and tell their story, so it might take awhile.**

 **Nina Vale: Actually, interestingly enough, I wrote Lionheart entirely before his premiere came out. He definitely is similar to canon Lionheart; of course, most people could guess that being cowardly would be a big part of his personality, so I feel like I can only take so much credit considering that was just the general idea of Lionheart. And yes, we're definitely inching further into the odd relationship Qrow and Winter have together. We'll have to see what develops ;)**

 **Thank you guys for sticking with this! I can't believe how many people have liked and followed this story, and how much I've written for this (it's almost the length of a novel?!) Thank you guys for everything! I hope to get the next chapter out to you soon!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Another chapter!**

 **Usual disclaimer, I don't own RWBY**

 **XXX**

"Ruby!" Qrow yelled, eyes widening as he spotted his niece. He ran towards her and reached her in a few quick strides, joining her side and keeping his own weapon at Emerald's throat. The two looked so alike in their poses, with their tattered red capes on their backs. Winter could easily tell who it was that had trained Ruby. She could also tell that Qrow wanted to talk to Ruby, make sure she was ok, but he wouldn't risk stepping away from Emerald or being distracted.

It was in that moment that Winter felt the hairs on her neck stand up.

"Hey Ice Queen!" a voice cried out. Winter spun around, raising her sword in an almost involuntary defensive motion. The silver-haired boy was lunging through the air, propelling himself by using the momentum of his Dust rounds. In a second, he would be in front of her. Winter gritted her teeth and prepared to send another wave of Fire Dust at the boy.

Then a separate fireball flew from out of nowhere and hit him in the side, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Ahh!" He grunted in pain, reaching for his foot, which was now bent at a horribly unnatural angle. Winter was sure it was broken until she saw him begin to twist it back, the shine of metal gleaming from underneath the leather covering of the boot. _Prosthetics,_ Winter noted, surprised she hadn't considered the idea before. No wonder the boy used his legs so much during their fight; they were his weapon.

She turned her head, trying to find the person who was responsible for the fire attack. She expected to see Sable walking towards them with her usual annoyed scowl. Instead, Beth stood close by, hand outstretched. She looked slightly surprised, as if she hadn't expected herself to attack.

"Is he ok?" she asked, hurrying over. Winter glanced back at the boy, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I'd say he's fine. For everything he's done, he probably deserves more," she said. The silver-haired boy growled and clumsily tried to lunge for Winter. Beth let out a startled noise and waved a hand. The ground beneath them rumbled and opened up around the boy, before effectively pinning his legs beneath jagged pieces of stone. "Good job." Winter said appreciatively.

"Thank you. I don't like fighting, but I do what I can to help." Beth dusted off her clothes. "Qrow told me to wait, and said he would come get me when he was ready. But after a little while of waiting, I thought it'd be best to come here and see if my help was needed."

"Bitch!" The two glanced at the boy, who was trying to scramble out of his trap, though he wasn't making any progress. His eyes blazed with anger. "If you knew what was good for you, you wouldn't get involved in this war. You won't be able to beat us once Cinder gets here."

"Cinder?" Beth asked.

"The new Fall Maiden," Winter surmised. The boy tsked, eyeing Beth up and down.

"Which Maiden are you?" he asked in a taunting tone.

"Don't answer him," Winter immediately said, shifting herself so she stood between Beth and the boy. Beth stayed quiet, watching the boy with a solemn face. Winter wondered what was going through the Maiden's head, and briefly thought that after hearing about the horrors Cinder Fall unleashed, and having interacted with an always-scowling Sable, it was almost jarring to meet a Maiden who lived up to the name more accurately.

"No!" Winter and Beth turned their heads to where Qrow and Ruby stood, weapons still pointed at Emerald. Emerald was glaring at them with furious, bright red eyes. She drew her weapons in a lightning-fast movement, but Qrow was just as quick in knocking them away. Winter could see Ruby's lips move, saw the girl lean forward, make some pleading sort of gestures with her hand. She thought the girl might have been trying to convert Emerald to their side, or at least appeal to her humanity. Emerald looked up, staring at Ruby with hardened eyes.

In the next second everything went dark.

Winter blinked a few times, but the darkness remained. She reached a hand out to feel in front of her, but there was nothing solid. Light hit her face as dim torches seemed to come alive around her, revealing a circle of figures with herself dead in the center. The darkness blanketed their faces in shadow, but Winter could hear their hissing voices clear as day.

 _You will never make it._

 _The professor … is dead. He will not help you …_

 _Take this last chance ... to turn back … before she kills you._

Winter held her ground, refusing to flinch. Her hands curled into fists at her side, and she reached for her weapon when she felt something behind her. She didn't turn, but she knew that some dark presence was behind her, waiting.

"You will be lucky if all I do is kill you," the voice purred. Winter sucked in a breath, unsheathed her saber, and stabbed it behind her. The sword hit nothing but air, and as Winter turned to finally face the owner of the voice, the darkness cleared away and Winter was launched back into the hall of Haven. Off somewhere further away, Winter could hear the cries of surprised students. _Did they all see it? And hear it, whatever that thing was?_

Someone off to her side was crying. No, sobbing. Winter glanced over to where Ruby and Qrow stood. Both still had their weapons out, their pale faces telling Winter that they too saw the vision. But at the moment, their attention was solely on Emerald, who was sobbing and writhing on the ground.

"NO! Cinder!" she screamed, tears pouring down her face. Her eyes were unfocused, staring off into the distance. Her hands scratched at the ground erratically.

"Emerald!" The silver-haired boy said. Winter was a little surprised to hear the mixture of anger and worry in his tone.

"Poor girl," Beth said.

"Hmmm. She tried to kill the students here," Winter said, watching Emerald slowly dissolve into madness. "She's at least partially responsible for this."

"Yes," Beth agreed. "Still, we don't know her circumstances. I just feel bad for her." Winter made a noncommittal noise, then politely asked if Beth would watch the boy while she went to speak with Qrow. When she reached Qrow's side, she noticed Emerald's weapons laying on the ground, and kicked them away from the girl, who was still sobbing and flailing on the floor.

"Good idea," Qrow said gruffly. Winter turned to him, surprised at his quiet tone.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Qrow simply shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, his usual drawl returning. Qrow turned to Ruby, whose attention was still on Emerald, and reached over to ruffle her hair. "Hey, kid." Ruby glanced at her uncle, her eyes lighting up, then returned her gaze to Emerald, aiming the barrel of her weapon at the other girl.

"Here," a voice said behind them. Ice formed around Emerald's wrists and ankles, forming frozen handcuffs. The ice didn't seem to phase the half-crazed girl. "She's not looking that great, is she?" Sable noted, strutting up to join the group. Winter felt a knot in her chest ease with relief. Everyone was ok.

"Woah," Ruby whispered. Sable raised an eyebrow at her. She gave a little wave, her eyes glowing bright for a brief moment. A few flames flickered at her fingertips.

"Impressed, kiddy?" she asked with a grin. Ruby's expression turned wary.

"Uncle Qrow?" she said slowly. Qrow pulled Ruby away from Sable, raising an eyebrow at the Maiden as he took his niece aside. Sable stared back at him with an innocent look. When they had walked a few feet away, Qrow wrapped his arms around Ruby, ruffling her hair even more.

"Are you ok, pipsqueak?'

"Y-yeah," Ruby said, pulling out of the hug to smile up at her uncle. "I guess I should be asking you that." The smile faded from her face. "I didn't know where you had went after you found us, or what was going on. We came as quickly as we could, and I saw you and Emerald-,"

"Don't worry about it kid," Qrow said, shaking his head. "You did enough. Without you, the whole situation could have been a lot worse." Ruby smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Uncle Qrow, what exactly is going on?" Ruby's eyes darted to Sable for a quick second, before returning it to Qrow. The glance did not go unnoticed by Qrow.

"Kid, I promise we'll sit down and talk." Qrow leaned down a bit, so he was eye-level with Ruby. "Ok?" Ruby nodded, still looking a bit unsure. "Where's your friends?"

"We split up once we got to Haven. There were some Grimm trying to get in, and the students were sort of freaking out." Ruby laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Nora immediately jumped in, of course, and Ren went to lead the students away, and Jaune is … Jaune. And I went looking for you."

"Consider me found," Qrow said with a sly grin.

Sable had been keeping an eye on Emerald, though the girl was still in a sorry state, when her eyes trailed to the side, locking on the form of her fellow Maiden. "Beth!" Sable ran to the other Maiden, throwing her arms around her in the most heartfelt action Winter had seen from Sable. Beth returned the hug, smiling widely. Sable peeked around Beth for a moment, her mouth curling in disgust.

"Who's that? Someone who gave you trouble?" she asked, glaring at the silver-haired boy. Beth waved her off.

"It's all fine. He's not hurting anybody now."

"Asshole," Sable hissed at the silver-haired boy. He growled back, struggling to free his legs to no avail.

"It's ok," Beth assured her friend, turning her away from the boy. "Tell me where you've been. Is there anyone else on the campus grounds that needs us?"

"You doubt me? Relax, everything's pretty much under control."

Winter stood off to the side by herself, standing guard by Emerald in Sable's place. She watched Qrow and Ruby talk from her spot a few yards away, her mind going to Weiss. _I wonder how she's doing now, if she's still with … father,_ Winter thought. She had to admit, though a part of her wished Weiss was there, after the chaos she had seen, she was glad Weiss wasn't a part of this battle.

The sound of light footsteps shook Winter free of her thoughts, and she found Ruby Rose approaching her.

"Hello, Miss Rose," Winter said.

"Hi," Ruby said with a smile. "Winter, right?"

"That is correct."

"Your Weiss' sister." Not a question. Winter smiled softly, remembering that she had met the girl before.

"Right again."

"And you've been helping Uncle Qrow," Ruby added. Winter raised an eyebrow, catching the gaze of Qrow. He stood a few feet behind Ruby, grinning mischievously. Winter suppressed the urge to narrow her eyes at him, and instead nodded.

"Yes, I- oh!" Winter cut off as Ruby wrapped her arms around Winter in a tight hug. "Ah, I -um…" Winter felt a bit flabbergasted. The only person she ever really hugged was Weiss, and she certainly wasn't used to people hugging her out of nowhere. She shot a baffled look at Qrow, who appeared to be holding in laughter - quite poorly.

"Thank you for everything!" Ruby exclaimed. Winter felt her confusion grow. What was the girl thanking for? She didn't recall doing a favor for Ruby Rose at any point in time.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Just for everything. Uncle Qrow told me some of what you guys have done, and I just wanted to say thank you." Ruby closed her eyes, beaming. "And Weiss looked up to you. And I know you're her sister, but thank you for that too." Winter felt her throat constrict at the mention of Weiss, but she smiled and accepted the thanks.

"Ruby!" The two turned at the voice that belonged to the young, blond-haired man who had just appeared on the opposite side of the hall through one of the doorways. The other two teenagers Winter had briefly seen with him and Ruby back in the forest joined his side, smiling when they saw Ruby.

"Jaune! Nora! Ren!" Ruby cried happily, quickly turning to Winter. "Sorry to leave, but my friends - I will meet with you at a later … meeting, er … time, yeah -"

"You should go greet your friends," Winter suggested, smile growing. Ruby grinned and nodded before dashing off in the direction of her friends.

"Wait, Ruby!" Winter called before Ruby could run any further. Ruby turned around, cocking her head to the side. "You are far from underwhelming." For a brief moment, Ruby looked confused. Then her face lit up and she smiled widely before spinning back around and running to greet her friends.

"Interesting thing to say to her," Qrow mumbled as he walked up to Winter, joining her as she watched Ruby hug her friends and laugh. "Didn't sound like much of a compliment either."

"Hmm. It was more of an apology," Winter replied. Qrow raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything more on the matter. "Is it over? Have the students been safely evacuated?"

"It looks like it. Can't say it's completely over. A lot of the school has been damaged, and there's still the aftermath of the Council's murders."

Winter frowned at the mention of the Council, but she didn't take her eyes off of the young teens on the other side of the room. "What will we do with the two children who attacked us? The Illusion girl and the metal-legged boy." Qrow rubbed the back of his neck, sighing.

"Guess we'll have to take them somewhere. Probably the police, who will take them to a prison."

"They couldn't possibly be the only two who were sent here," Winter murmured. "We should search the grounds for others involved." Qrow rubbed his chin, mulling over the idea.

"Yeah, it'd probably be an alright idea. It does seem a little odd that it's just these two kids. Course, the White Fang's attack on the Council was probably supposed to attract more Grimm to the city than expected. These students are lucky only a few Grimm got onto the school grounds."

"We have your niece to thank for that. And you, for thinking to warn her."

"Yeah, guess we do." Qrow chuckled. Winter glanced at him, pressing her lips together.

"Not that I don't see the pros of keeping such a plan secret, but next time … I would like to be kept in the loop," Winter said quietly. Qrow looked over at her, eyebrows raised in surprise, but after a moment he nodded slowly, though he didn't take his eyes off of her.

"Alright. I owe you that much," he agreed. Winter let herself give a small smile and returned to watching Ruby and her friends. The two Hunters stayed there for a few more moments, relishing in the peace, though both knew it was probably temporary.

Eventually, Winter turned back to Qrow. "We should go assist Sable and Beth with Emerald and her accomplice. Perhaps we should call the Mistral police to pick them up."

"The fires and Grimm should have been visible a few miles away. Maybe someone already got them," Qrow said with a shrug.

As if in answer to Qrow, a mechanical whirring sound began to grow louder until it sounded as if whatever was making the noise was right above them. A light gust of wind blew through the broken windows, sending Winter's hair curling around her face. What few students were left in the area looked up towards the window in surprise and confusion, then ran outside. Ruby and her friends had stopped their cheerful hugs and were staring at the bright lights shining through the windows.

"Could the Mistral police have arrived already?" Winter asked, holding a hand to her forehead and squinting. Qrow's brow furrowed, but he didn't respond.

The whirring noise grew louder still, until finally it began to die down, followed by the mechanical thud of something hitting the ground. Even from her spot in Haven's hall, Winter could tell that this was the noise of a landing airship. She had spent enough time in her own and the other Atlesian military jets to know what it sounded like. These even sounded like the ones she had spent so many trips on.

"Let's grab the Maidens and those two kids and go. You grab your niece and her friends," Winter said, turning to face Qrow. He nodded, and walked off to get Ruby. Winter headed back to the Maidens, both standing by the metal-legged boy. Emerald was a little further off to the side, not quite as frenzied as before, though the girl still had a strange, glassy eyed stare.

"Sable, Beth." The two Maidens turned as Winter approached them. "The authorities have arrived. We can take these two and hand them over."

"That's it?" Sable asked.

"The police will deal with them. I doubt they'll get easy sentences."

"They could get away," Sable snapped. "Don't you Hunters have some top-notch prison somewhere?"

"No, and no one else knows what exactly happened here!" Winter snapped back. "They understand Haven has been attacked and the Council fell, but no one knows the real reason as to why. Haven will see these two children as their own beings who were working on their own agenda, and naturally they will charge and imprison them by Mistral standards." Sable huffed and crossed her arms, still unconvinced and annoyed.

"Should we carry them outside?" Beth wondered. Ever the calm one.

"We might as well. The police may not know where to look. They could be searching the entire grounds for other culprits or injured students."

"We're just supposed to lug around these brats?" Sable asked in a disgusted tone. The boy hissed at her, but kept quiet.

"I can handle it with my glyphs. Unless you'd prefer to carry them," Winter added, rubbing her hands together and outstretching a palm.

"You think we can't do it? We have -,"

"I understand," Winter said in a low tone, cutting Sable off. "But now that there's even more people here, and the panic is over for the most part, we need to keep on the down low. We cannot reveal your powers to everyone. It would put you two in too much danger. It is not that I think you couldn't handle the danger, but I'd rather avoid confrontations with the enemy." Sable and Beth shared a look. Sable was cracking the knuckles of her fingers, clearly still annoyed. Beth smiled at her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, whispering a few words. Finally, Sable threw her hands up in the air.

"Alright," she groaned. She jabbed a finger at Winter. "If something goes wrong though, don't think we'll hesitate to use our powers." Winter nodded in understanding. She knew the Maidens used their powers to help others, so hiding their powers in an emergency was out of the question. But they couldn't be sure in this situation. _This would be so much easier if I knew of any Brotherhood members that were possibly in the Mistral police._

Winter reached out her hands, concentrating, and formed pale glyphs beneath Emerald and the boy. Beth reached out a hand as well, and the rocks pinning the boy to the ground shifted and formed cuffs around his hands and feet. Winter nodded her thanks, and propelled the two a few feet in the air with smaller, black glyphs beneath the white ones. The glyphs kept the two teens floating gently above the ground as Winter moved them in the direction of the door - well, broken door - that led to the yard. Beth and Sable were at her side, Sable staying close to the boy and shooting him cold glares every few seconds.

Qrow had rounded up Ruby and her friends and was leading them out as well. Winter glanced at them quickly, before returning her gaze to the door. The kids seemed confused, though they carried themselves proudly too. They were happy they had been able to get to Haven and help. Winter wondered how many other students had stayed, and how many had been evacuated. Perhaps the Mistral police would help with the situation.

But when the group exited the hall onto the lawn, it wasn't the sight of Mistral police that greeted them. The airship didn't have the bronze plates and steel, flipper-like wings that were typical of Mistral ships. It was sleek and white, with jets that powered its motion. Two soldiers in red and blue armor had stepped onto the ship's platform, guarding its entrance. Winter lowered the cuffed Emerald and accomplice on to the ground in silence, staring at the ship.

The ship belonged to the Atlesian military.

Atlas had arrived.

The minute the others saw the ship, there was a variety of reactions. Qrow froze for a moment, grimacing at the sight of the ship. He nudged the kids back a bit, though Ruby kept hopping on her toes to get a better look. Sable and Beth backed up a bit, staying by each other's side.

"Atlas," Sable said in disgust. Beth simply looked surprised.

"Why are they here?" Qrow growled.

"I don't even know how they managed to get into Mistral," Winter said, still staring at the Atlesian ship. "Tensions have been so high between the kingdoms. With the Council dead and Haven under attack, I don't know how they were able to fly here." More soldiers had disembarked and were now beginning to comb the grounds. Some had stopped the few remaining students and professors to ask questions.

"I'd like to find out." Qrow's expression had turned stormy. Winter looked at Qrow, a growing concern etched on her face. Then she looked over at Sable and Beth.

"You two should get out of here," Winter advised. "Before there are soldiers everywhere. They might try to stop you if they find out who you are, or take you in for questioning when you can't explain why you're here." Winter was instantly shocked at her words. What was she _doing_? Was she really telling people to run away from a problem? From her own military? She trusted her military. She trusted the soldiers she had worked with, the Specialists she had trained with. She looked up to the General, more so than her cold father.

"You're telling us to scram?" Sable asked in disbelief.

"We can't leave a problem like this. We can't abandon you," Beth insisted, surprising Winter with her determined expression.

"She's right. You guys should head out now." Qrow crossed his arms, giving the two women a hard look. "Go back to your place, or find somewhere you can lie low and safe for awhile. We'll meet up with you afterwards." Ruby and her friends glanced at each other, clearly unsure as to what they were talking about. The Maidens shared another look, grappling with the idea of leaving. Beth bit the tip of her thumb, looking torn. After a few moments of quiet debate, they agreed.

"We'll leave," Sable said reluctantly. "But don't mess anything up! If we find out that right after we left, the school exploded or something, I'm going to find you and kick your asses into next week." Qrow snorted, and Sable shot him a dark look.

"What's the best way to get out?" Beth asked.

"Take the tunnels in the basement. You'll have to go back in the school and take the elevator down. That's where some of the students should have evacuated," Qrow explained. "It will take you to the main city area."

"Then we should leave before our way is completely blocked by the fire." Beth sighed. "I don't like doing this. But if you think it's for the best -,"

"It is. We don't even know why there's a foreign military here." Qrow laughed, though it was a bitter sound. Winter stifled her flinch.

"It will be difficult explaining our own reasons as to why we're here," She added. She forced herself to smile. "We'll see you soon." Another unreadable glance between the two Maidens.

"Then we'll see you later, I guess," Sable said. Beth reached over and gave Winter a quick hug.

"Soon," Beth added on. She smiled at Winter one last time, a sad look in her eye. Then the two turned and slipped back into the building. Winter watched them leave and disappear into the smoke.

"Will they be safe?" one of the boys asked. Winter glanced over at him. It wasn't the golden-haired boy who had stayed by Ruby, but the dark-haired boy in green who never left the ginger girl's side. Winter tried to remember their names. Ruby had mentioned them briefly before. _Ren and Nora, I believe,_ Winter reminded herself. _And the other one is Jaune._

"Safer than they would be if they stayed with us," Qrow muttered. "Schnee, we should take those two to the soldiers." He nodded at the Emerald and her friend, both still in cuffs and held in place by Winter's glyphs.

"Yes," Winter said, raising her chin and gathering herself. She fell into her usual military stance, back and shoulders straight. She took the quick chance to sweep her hair back into her standard bun, bangs partially covering the side of her face.

"Soldier!" Winter called out as they approached the Atlesian airship, her tone one of command. The two guards turned to her, confused and wary.

"Miss?"

"I have two of the people responsible for the attack on Haven." Winter held her hand out, and the glyphs underneath Emerald and the boy dissipated, dropping them onto the hard ground. The boy grunted, but Emerald made no sound, still in an odd trance-like state. "We captured them after they attacked us." The soldiers eyed her, raising their weapons a little higher.

"Miss, who are you?"

Winter raised her chin,. "I'm -,"

"Schnee?" Immediately, Winter stood upright in an involuntary reaction. She had not expected this. She spun on her heel to face the owner of the voice, knowing full well what she would see. He looked very similar to the last time she had seen him, though he wore a different uniform. The only difference in his features was the tired, dark rings underneath his eyes.

"General Ironwood, sir!" Winter responded, saluting, even as an uneasy feeling filled her. What was the _General_ doing here?

 **XXX**

 **Not to much for me to say in this author's note, other than I'm happy that I was able to get this out within a few weeks of the last chapter! I know where I want the next few chapters to go, so I'm hoping that I'll be back on a relative schedule for updating, but I also have a lot of work and projects I have to take care of coming up, so my updating schedule may be a little off or take awhile. Thank you guys for your patience with my updates, and for reading, following, and favoriting this story. It means a lot!**

 **Little bit of trivia/Vol 5 spoilers: I'd been wanting to write Emerald losing her mind because of overusing her Semblance, and I was surprised (and slightly disappointed) that RT included that in the Vol 5 finale, just because I had wanted to do it first! ;) But I did like how the show handled it, and I still wanted to use the idea somehow.**

 **Also, this fic is officially the length of a novel now?! I can't believe it's gotten this far (and there's still so much of this story left)! But I'm so happy it has, and I'm glad so many of you have stuck with it for so long! Thank you guys!**

 **hypernova2718: Thank you! Yes, the illusion of Weiss was an idea I'd had for awhile. I was excited to introduce Emerald, because there's so many fun things to play around with using her Semblance. It also serves as a good device to really make Winter question certain things, like her personal priorities and the people she truly cares about.**

 **Nina Vale: You are always too too kind! And thank you for following this story for so long, and always taking the time to review new chapters! You are so sweet! And oh my god, thank you for the compliment! Showing vs. telling can be difficult for me, so it's good to hear that you're enjoying it and think I'm doing a decent job. ((I'm glad you noticed Qrow's glances at Winter too; it's definitely him still being a little unsure and trying to make sure it isn't an Illusion)) I don't know if I can promise Qrow in a fever ... and the next couple chapters will be ... different, than the usual chapters. But I think it's safe for me to promise future Qrow and Winter moments, including angst :)**

 **Thank you all! I hope to get the next chapter to you (relatively) soon!**


	18. Chapter 18

**New chapter! (As usual, I do not own RWBY or its characters)**

 **XXX**

The General stood with his hands clasped behind his back, halted a few feet away from Winter. Her expression wavered, and she slowly lowered her hand.

"General, what are you doing here?" she asked. His eyebrows raised just the slightest bit, and Winter internally admonished herself for speaking out of turn. She could practically see the mental list the General was checking off. _In civilian clothes, spoke out of turn …_

"I could ask you the same question, Schnee," Ironwood said carefully. Winter couldn't quite place her finger on it, but he seemed almost … wary. Not nervous. The General was rarely nervous about anything. But in that moment, he seemed a bit unsure. Of the situation or of herself, Winter wasn't sure.

"Sir, I-," Winter began, then she caught Qrow's eye. His expression was unreadable. She had been about to offer up a detailed account of everything that had happened since she left Atlas, but she wasn't sure that was what she _should_ do. It would feel like a betrayal. Instead she gestured at the two teenagers they had cuffed. "We managed to detain two of the people responsible for this attack."

Ironwood glanced at the teenagers, frowning, then looked back at Winter. "Did you know it's been a month since you left, Schnee?" That caught her off guard. She did the math, counting the days in her head. He was right. It'd been about a month since she had left Atlas.

"Yes, sir."

"A month of you off the grid."

"Yes, sir."

"I didn't give you the opportunity for a personal mission lightly," the General said, lowering his voice. Winter dipped her head.

"I did not take it lightly, sir. I am grateful for the opportunity you gave me, without which I wouldn't be here."

"Perhaps we should discuss what you're doing here, Schnee," Ironwood said firmly. "The timing cannot be coincidence."

"I'd like to talk to you about what _you're_ doing here, Jimmy," Qrow cut in, gaze hard. Ironwood looked at Qrow, his mouth forming a hard line. Then for the first time, he seemed to notice the group of kids that Winter and Qrow had behind them. Ruby gazed out from behind Qrow, eyes wide and bright.

"Then we should speak privately," Ironwood finally said, though he seemed reluctant to speak with Qrow. Qrow nodded, though his hardened expression didn't leave his face.

"Can we come?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Sorry, kiddo. This is a conversation you're going to have to sit out of." Qrow placed his hand on her head with a smile. "We'll talk right after, I swear. In the meantime, you four should probably stay here. Don't go running off or anything."

"Ok," Ruby muttered, looking quite disappointed. Ironwood motioned for Qrow and Winter to follow, and the three entered the airship. General Ironwood led them down a section of the large ship until they reached a barely noticeable doorway. He placed his hand on a sensory pad next to the door, and it slid open. The room was fairly small, just large enough for a rectangular table with three seats on each side.

"So," General Ironwood began, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table. Winter and Qrow slid into two seats facing him. "Am I finally allowed to know what this special mission is about?" Qrow's lip curled.

"Well, we've had to stay quiet about it all, especially since communication has been difficult. You can't really trust technology these days, can you?" he fired.

"Qrow!" Winter snapped. He raised his hands in a surrender motion, leaning back in his chair.

"You know that wasn't my fault, Qrow. We talked about that," Ironwood said quietly. Qrow's shoulders slumped a bit.

"I know, Jimmy." He hooked a thumb at the door. "But what I don't understand is why you and a quarter of your army is here! How did you even know about the attack on Haven?"

"We received a distress signal sent by a Mistral council-member. I don't know who it was, the message was anonymous. But it was sent using a code only the Council had."

"The Mistral Council is dead," Winter said. Ironwood glanced at her, eyes widening.

"I should have known. Should have predicted this would happen."

"You couldn't predict this, General," Winter immediately put in.

"Couldn't I have? The same thing happened to Vale and Beacon. I knew about S-," he stopped himself, glancing back and forth between Qrow and Winter. Qrow nodded, and Ironwood continued. "I knew about Salem, and I more than most people should have seen what she did to Vale and known that she wouldn't leave the rest of Remnant alone."

"Maybe," Qrow allowed. "But even Ozpin couldn't have predicted her plan. And this still doesn't explain why you brought so many soldiers, or how you were able to enter Mistral." Ironwood shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable.

"Sir?" Winter asked. The General sighed, leaning forward and clasping his hands together.

"This was a decision I made. We really shouldn't be here. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be allowed." He ran a hand through his hair, looking quite stressed. "But with so many students in danger, I decided to stay and help."

"Mistral didn't ask for your help," Qrow muttered.

"The students' safety comes first," Winter said, giving Qrow a look.

"Either way, we'll be leaving as quickly as possible," Ironwood said. That got their attention.

"You aren't staying to help, sir?" Winter asked.

"No. You're right, Mistral didn't ask for our help, and with tensions so high between kingdoms, especially with Atlas, we'll be moving out as soon as possible." He looked up at Winter, eyes a little sad. "I've agreed with the Mistral police and a few officials that Atlas will remove their entire presence from their kingdom." The words hung in the air, followed by a long silence. Winter felt her breath escape her in a faint whoosh, fearing what he would say next.

"What do you mean by our 'entire presence'?" she asked, but deep down she knew the answer. Next to her, Qrow had gone deathly still.

"All of our soldiers will be leaving tonight on the ships. At least for now, no Atlas soldiers or military personnel will be allowed in Mistral. I imagine trading will soon come to a halt as well."

"Has the Atlas Council tried for peace negotiations with Mistral? Or at least tried to explain what happened during the Battle of Beacon?" Winter asked, her voice rising.

"Schnee, this order comes from the Atlas Council as well. They want us to remove any soldiers or personnel from Mistral and return to Atlas."

"But sir-!"

"Winter," Ironwood cut her off, fixing her with a hard look. "I'm ordering you to return to Atlas." Again, there was an icy silence. Winter tried to keep her fingers from curling on the table. She opened her mouth to say something, but her mind was scrambling. She had to follow the General's orders, of course she did. But she couldn't just leave either. She couldn't leave Qrow and their mission.

"Sir, please," Winter began slowly.

"I'm sorry, Schnee. But this isn't up for debate."

"You sent her here in the first place, and you're going to order her back now?!" Qrow had half risen out of his chair, crimson eyes blazing. "Jimmy, if we don't do anything, Salem wins. And we can say goodbye to Remnant, 'cause it sure won't be the same by the time she's finished. You know why we have to do this! Let her stay and help with finding out more about Salem and her associates."

"No, I can't," Ironwood said with a shake of his head. Qrow turned to Winter, that fiery spark still in his eyes.

"Schnee!" he said, his tone almost pleading. He didn't say anything else, just her name. _He wants me to stand up to General Ironwood. He doesn't want to talk for me. He's giving me this chance,_ Winter realized. She felt frozen. She was torn and she felt ashamed. Either way, she would be leaving when she had made a commitment.

"Sir, you allowed me to come on this mission. Why now have you come to the decision that it would be best if I returned?" Winter asked, picking her words carefully. Dangerous. This felt dangerously close to disobeying orders.

"Letting you leave before was a bit of a whim." Ironwood gave her a wry smile. "Something told me you would have found some loophole that allowed you to leave. I thought it would be ok and that no one would notice you had left on a solo mission." His gaze fell, the lines around his eyes growing tighter. "Recently I've been talking with the Atlas Council and other Atlesian officials. Your father included, Schnee." Winter smothered her flinch. Of course. Knowing Jacques Schnee, he had included himself. "The tension between Atlas and the other kingdoms is getting bad. The Council knows how the rest of Remnant views us after the fall of Vale. They knew what it would look like if we kept our soldiers in other kingdoms."

"Atlas hasn't attacked any kingdom," Winter said. "The Council should know that."

"The Council has been concerned about a possible attack against Atlas. With the relationships between kingdoms now rocky, to say the least, this was the call they made."

"You're on the Council. What did you say?" Qrow asked with narrowed eyes.

"I remained neutral. But I do agree on some of the points."

"I understand the situation, General," Winter said. "But is there really no way for me to continue my mission here in Mistral?" Now Ironwood looked a little uncomfortable.

"The Council needed to know what members of the Atlas military were overseas so we could call them home. They found out you were away on an unknown solo mission. It was easy to let a small handful of people believe you were in Vale, helping with the Grimm problem, but I couldn't have that in the official records. It could too easily be proven a lie. And you're one of our best, Schnee. A Specialist. They've asked for you to come back."

"Sir, this mission could prove vital to discovering what the people behind Vale's attack are after," Winter persisted, but somewhere inside her, she felt a crack in her resolve.

"You're needed back at Atlas," Ironwood insisted.

"To do what?" Qrow shot at him. "March around the training grounds?"

"Qrow, I understand how important Ozpin's mission is," Ironwood said. "But we need to leave, Miss Schnee included." Qrow scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Winter took a breath and reached over, gently, carefully resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Qrow, he's right. The army should go back to Atlas," she said softly. Qrow's head snapped to face her.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"If Atlas stays here, Mistral will think this was all a ploy to leave our soldiers here and take advantage of them. It will look like the attack was set up by Atlas," Winter explained. "They have to leave."

"And what will you do, Schnee?" he asked, his voice almost nonchalant, though there was something in his tone that Winter couldn't quite pinpoint.

"...I have to go too," she whispered. It was almost imperceptible, but Winter could see him recoil away from her, and a wave of hurt washed through her. He sat back down, his arms crossed. His entire face looked completely closed off. For once, Winter didn't know what to say. For once, she was almost upset that she had to return to Atlas.

"While we're at it," Ironwood said, clearing his throat. "Did you find anything of significance, Qrow?" Winter kept her gaze on Ironwood. Qrow looked up, staring at Ironwood for a moment.

"We found those two kids. They knew Cinder Fall closely, so they might be able to give you some information. If they talk," he mumbled.

"What about the Maidens? Did you find any of them?" Ironwood asked, his tone sounding a little more worried. There was the slightest pause, so fleeting that Winter was positive Ironwood didn't take notice. Winter kept her back straight and focused on her breathing, waiting for Qrow's words.

"I'm looking for them. I hope to find one of them, any of them soon," Qrow said calmly. His expression betrayed nothing, and Ironwood nodded, accepting the words with ease. The general's shoulders relaxed, and he pushed himself out of his chair.

"Well, I'm sure you have somewhere to be, Qrow," Ironwood said.

"Not really," Qrow said. Ironwood looked briefly flustered, then regained his composure.

"My people and I will be leaving soon," he said, gesturing at the door. The meaning was clear. Qrow pushed away from the table.

"Alright. I better leave and make sure my niece is ok," Qrow said gruffly. Winter stood too, though she wasn't sure where she'd be going. She needed to talk to Qrow though.

"Sir, I could walk Qrow out," Winter offered, keeping her face neutral. Ironwood stared at her for a moment, quiet. Winter wondered if he would tell her no, or perhaps he suspected that they were keeping information from him. But then he nodded and waved at them.

"Yes, please escort Qrow out and then meet me back in the ship's bridge."

"Of course, sir," Winter said, giving a quick salute before turning on her heel and leading Qrow out of the room.

"See ya Jimmy," Qrow muttered, slouching forward as he followed Winter. Winter led him down the long corridor, keeping her posture straight. "Winter," Qrow began.

"Do not say anything Qrow," Winter hissed under her breath. _Not until we're outside._

Once they had navigated their way back to the door of the ship, they headed down the ramp that led back to the grounds outside Haven. The guards gave them wary looks, reluctantly moving out of the way. They eyed Winter, but she ignored them. When her feet were planted back on firm ground, Qrow pulled her off to the side, finding a spot where there were no guards patrolling.

"We don't have a lot of time," Winter said.

"I have to make this quick," Qrow said at the same time. They both stared at each other for a moment. Qrow's mouth twitched at the corner, curling into a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Qrow," Winter said, lowering her gaze.

"...I understand, Schnee," he said quietly. Not happy about it, but he understood, and Winter appreciated that.

"You didn't tell Ironwood about Sable or Beth."

"Neither did you." Qrow grinned. Winter smiled in return, but it faded quickly.

"Why did you choose not to?" she asked. Qrow looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"The less people who know the better. And Jimmy showing up with Atlas soldiers doesn't help things." He blew a strand of hair out of his face. "Jimmy's heart may be in the right place, but he can't or won't help us. And with the amount of contact he has with the other Atlas council members, who knows how quickly information like this would spread. I've seen what measures Jimmy would take to protect the power of the Maidens. I'm not saying he's a bad guy," Qrow added. "Just with all that happened, I think this information is safer between you and me." Winter nodded. It was a rational enough decision. She trusted the General, but the Maidens and their powers should be hidden, at least for the time being. "What about you?"

Winter's brows furrowed in confusion. "What about me?"

"You're going back to Atlas, huh."

"Yes," she said, her face flushing a bit.

"Why? You don't have to do what he says," Qrow insisted. Winter shook her head.

"I do, Qrow. It's part of my job. And I don't regret that." She gave him a sad smile. "I regret not being able to finish this mission though. I must apologize for my untimely departure."

"What about what you want?! I know you don't want to return to Atlas!"

"No," Winter admitted. "Not when we still have so much to do. But I have to. And I don't want to abandon my job as an Atlesian Specialist either. I do want to continue to assist Atlas to the best of my ability." Qrow huffed, turning away. He paced back and forth, running a hand through his hair with a frustrated expression.

"Sometimes I think Jimmy just does this to piss me off," Qrow said with a low, bitter laugh.

"The General's on our side," Winter reminded him, though her words fell flat. Qrow turned to face her again.

"You're really going to go back to Atlas," he said, and Winter did her best to ignore the sound of defeat in his voice.

"I have to," Winter repeated. She felt like she had said those words a dozen times already, each one a new wound. They both quieted. Their time was limited, but Winter still had questions. "What are you going to do, Qrow?"

"Continue," he replied simply. "Meet back up with Sable and Beth, and from there, I don't know exactly what." He reach for his pocket, pulling out his flask and taking a long drink. "I think I might look for Oz. Maybe the last Maiden too."

"You should take Ruby and the other children with you," Winter advised. "She deserves to know what you're doing, and if they decide to continue on their own mission to find out about the attack on Beacon, they will just be running straight into danger."

"Yeah," Qrow said with a sigh. "I figured I'd have to tell her eventually." They quieted again, the conversation reaching a lull.

"I'll try to do what I can, Qrow," Winter said suddenly. "From Atlas. If there's anything I can discover, or anything I can do to persuade the General or the Council, I will do my best to see it done." Qrow's eyes widened in surprise, and he grinned.

"I'm impressed, Schnee," he said in a teasing tone. "You know, you've changed from the uptight, strict, soldier girl from before. You're almost tolerable now."

"Oh, shut up, Branwen," Winter said with a sniff, hiding a smile. Another pause.

"Miss Schnee, I've been ordered to let you know we will be taking off in just a few minutes." One of the guards from the ship was standing several feet away, gesturing at the ship. Qrow grimaced, and turned to retort.

"Leave it be, Qrow," Winter said in a low tone, straightening up. Qrow frowned, but he turned back to her and away from the waiting guard. "I will see you again soon."

"Yeah," Qrow said gruffly.

"I promise," Winter said before she had even thought through her words. But she found she meant it. _This is not goodbye, not really. I'm not done with this mission._

Qrow watched her for a moment, then leaned forward and clasped his arm around her in a quick embrace. Winter went ramrod still, unsure of how to react. She found herself smiling, but she wasn't sure as to why.

"Yeah, we'll see each other again, Schnee," Qrow said, leaning back. "Bet on it." Winter nodded.

"Miss?" The guard began to shift around, looking fidgety.

"I'm coming," Winter said sharply, shooting a glare at the soldier. The soldier sputtered a bit, then skittered back to the ship. Winter glanced at Qrow, the two staring at each other for a brief moment, and then Winter followed the guard, arriving at the platform of the ship. The General was waiting in the doorway.

"Come along, Schnee. I'll inform you of what's been happening back in Atlas," he said, before turning into the ship and walking away. Winter walked up to the doorway, and turned back at the last moment, searching for Qrow. He stood off to the side, away from the attention of others, but his eyes were locked on her as well. He lifted his hand, and gave the slightest wave.

Then the door slid shut.

And Winter was alone in the Atlesian ship.

She headed to the bridge of the ship, falling back into the protocol she was used to with ease. And all the while, she kept thinking something that filled her with a mix of unease, excitement, and disappointment.

 _I'm going home, back to Atlas._

 **XXX**

In a dark, unknown world, the news of the attack on Haven failing left the associates of Salem quite concerned, to say the least. Arthur Watts now stood at attention, facing the back of their leader's chair, with much more confidence than most others would have in his situation.

"My lady, I'm sorry to report that the attack on Haven did not go as planned," he began, standing firm. She didn't turn her eyes to him, just stared at the nearby candle as wax began to drip onto the floor. She tapped a long, pale, dark-striped finger against the arm of her chair.

"I had heard."

Watt sniffed, brushing off some nonexistent dust. "I know it's not what you had planned.

"True," she said, finally turning those scarlet red eyes on him. They flickered with a brief glow, then faded. "I would have preferred to make sure that Haven and its band of students and Hunters were permanently out of the picture. Be that as it may, no plan is without a failsafe."

"The school is still damaged. No doubt the students have been evacuated and sent home," Watts added. Salem nodded at him slowly.

"There is nothing stopping us from attacking Haven again," Salem mused. "Except time, of course. But I am not concerned with time." No, each of her close associates knew she wasn't. She was patient, and that made her much more terrifying and dangerous. "We could send Puck in with a bomb if we so choose."

"Indeed." Watts glanced back at the door, as if expecting someone to barge in. "Some may question why more extreme action wasn't taken early on."

"Let them know exactly why, if anyone asks," Salem said, waving her hand dismissively. "Unless this is just your roundabout way of questioning my choices, Watts."

"I'm merely looking at the situation from many sides."

Salem smiled, a look that saw right through the flattery and smooth talk. "Of course, dear Watts. But I have no secrets from my followers. I want them to trust me, and trust that with time, the kingdoms will begin to crumble. I had hoped that we would be able to set up the attack of Haven so that it seemed the fault was on Atlas spies, or the Mistral leaders and Huntsmen themselves, like gullible Lionheart. It would ensure that no one suspected an outside force such as ourselves was involved. However, the Brotherhood knows who I am, so our luxury of using the humans' ignorance may fast be coming to an end."

"Yes," murmured Watts. "Perhaps we should begin prioritizing speed over discretion."

"Yes," Salem said. "Perhaps we should. Though I suspect Vacuo will still be left in the dark, given how unorganized their government is. Atlas and the rest of Mistral may need a show of force."

"I couldn't agree more, my lady." Watts took a step forward, placing a file on the adjacent table. "I've checked the Atlas databases for what you required." Salem picked up the file, shifting through the papers inside. There were countless papers, awards, and information in the file, but her eyes landed on the two she had specifically asked for. Two pages of information about two very different people.

"Qrow Branwen," she mused, fingering the edge of the paper. "Huntsman of Vale, graduated from Beacon Academy as a member of team STRQ. Taught at Signal Academy, uses a scythe for a weapon. Ozpin's right-hand man, trying to pick up the pieces where he left off." Salem delicately picked up the next page. "Winter Schnee. Daughter of Jacque Schnee, Granddaughter of Nikolai, ex-heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Attended Atlas Academy with high honors and was given a high position as an Atlesian Specialist in General Ironwood's army."

"They've both been sighted numerous times in Mistral. We believe Winter Schnee now knows about the Maidens, and possibly more, given her recent association with Qrow," Watts explained.

"These two have certainly been busy," Salem mused with a smile. She ran a finger along the edge of Winter's file. "I think we might need to send some friends to speak with them. They're becoming much more involved in this than I imagined."

"Indeed."

"We'll have to keep an eye on them then." Salem smiled, and her eyes burned red. "I'd like to squash any resistance before the humans have a chance to realize they're doomed."

 **XXX**

 **New chapter out! Things will be a little bit different now that Winter and Qrow have been split up. Who can say what will happen? ;) Thank you to everyone who's sticking with the story and all the new followers!**

 **Nina Vale: Yes, Qrow does tend to get the worse end of the deal. He always has to worry about everyone else. Maybe something will come up in this story that will change that ... I can't say anything though ;). And I'm glad you like the character relationships, and Sable! Sable is always so much fun to write, and I love her. I look forward to writing more of the Maidens in the future. Qrow and Ruby are also fun to write because Qrow just so obviously cares about his niece(s)? Like, he's drunk and always up to something half the time, but he always looks out for his family. As for Winter's relationship with Atlas and the General, things have certainly changed. Winter's gotten the opportunity to grow in an environment that isn't the strict kingdom of Atlas. How she proceeds as an Atlesian Specialist will be very interesting.**

 **The next chapter may take a little bit before I release it, but I'm hoping it won't be too long. Until then!**


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